LeBron James 76ers Debut: 10 Points in a Loss

What LeBron actually did

The numbers were quiet on purpose. According to ESPN, James played 18 minutes, all in the first half, and finished with 10 points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists. He took exactly one shot from the field and made it. The rest came at the line, where he went 8-for-8.

Teammate VJ Edgecombe joked about it afterward, saying James already has the scoring record and does not care to score anymore. Edgecombe also described the feeling of playing next to him, saying a player like James attracts so much attention that he just has to cut, run the floor and spot up.

Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn by 10 points in James' minutes, so the LeBron James 76ers debut looked a lot better in the plus-minus than in the final score. The Nets pulled away by winning the third quarter 37-23, when the starters were mostly done for the night.

The new-look starting five

This was the first time the planned starters shared a floor: Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Edgecombe and James. Brown, who arrived in a trade with the Boston Celtics, led all scorers with 18 points. Maxey added 14. Per ESPN, that unit outscored Brooklyn by two in about 10 minutes together.

Embiid had the roughest night, with six points on 1-for-5 shooting and eight turnovers in 24 minutes. He took it in stride, saying his first few games usually look like this every year. Coach Nick Nurse said he was just happy to see Embiid out there after the injuries of recent seasons.

There was also a funny clunky moment, with Embiid falling and Brown spilling onto the court while trying to avoid him. Brown said he flexed his knee a bit but seems fine, and added that the two need to figure out spacing.

Same chalk toss, new jersey

The ritual survived the move. James did his signature pregame chalk toss at center court while fans held up their phones, just like in the old days. The strange detail, reported by ESPN, is that he sat at the same locker-room cubby he has used for years in the visitors locker room at Barclays Center.

"It felt a little different," James said. "Obviously, just wearing a new uniform, but the game is the game." He also said it will take time for the group to complement each other, but called the night a good sample size to build on, according to Al Jazeera.

James signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Sixers in July after eight seasons and one title with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is chasing a record-extending 24th NBA season, and Philadelphia is chasing its first championship since Julius Erving's team won 43 years ago.

The drama he's already swatting away

Noise follows James everywhere. Earlier this week, a play-by-play announcer reported that he had scolded Embiid for being late to practice. James went to Instagram and wrote that Embiid has not been late, and told people to stop the lie. Embiid also called the report not true and called himself an easy target, according to ESPN.

James predicted at media day that outside chatter around the Sixers would be doubled, tripled and quadrupled with him there. So far, he is right. For more sports coverage, check our sports section and our Feed.

What's next

Philadelphia has two preseason games left, at Boston on Saturday and at home against the Celtics on Oct. 16. Nurse said he plans to play the starters again in one of them and stretch their minutes into the second half, with sources telling ESPN the finale is more likely.

Then it gets real. The Sixers open the regular season on Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden against the defending champion New York Knicks, who will raise their banner that night. Read the full game report from Al Jazeera and ESPN.

One game of preseason tells you almost nothing about wins, but it did show how this team might work. James creates, Maxey and Brown score, and Embiid needs his legs and his handle back. This debut was a loss that still felt like the start of something, and Oct. 20 will show how much of it is real.