LeBron at center?! Why 76ers got creative on opening night

Consider Oct. 21, 2025: NBA opening night inside Crypto.com Arena.

A 40-year-old LeBron James, who hadn’t missed a season opener in his 23-year career, is watching from the bench with a nagging sciatica that would push his season debut — in his final year under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers — to mid-November.

Which of the following would’ve been the most surprising if you had a crystal ball (and chose NBA opening night 2026) to see into the future:

1. James, now 41, still playing at a high level,

2. for the Philadelphia 76ers,

3. at … center?

James’ distaste for playing defensive center spans decades because of the wear and tear. But his move there at times on Tuesday night, albeit alongside big man Joel Embiid for much of it, should be one of the biggest takeaways from the 76ers’ 106-100 win at Madison Square Garden.

Not only did he play backup center at times Tuesday night, but there were numerous possessions where James defended Knicks’ center Karl-Anthony Towns, with Embiid sliding to guard Josh Hart. It enabled the 76ers to better defend Towns in the pick-and-roll. James also made plays as a basket defender, including during his pivotal late-game block on Mikal Bridges.

Common sense dictates that James won’t play 34 minutes as he did Tuesday; nor play this much center over the long haul of the season. But Game 1 revealed both the role James is willing to play for Philadelphia and a willingness from coach Nick Nurse to get creative right away.

More opening night takeaways

Point KAT largely absent from Knicks offense

Jalen Brunson shot 6-for-19. Bridges shot 2-for-8. OG Anunoby was 1-from-9 from behind the arc, where New York shot a meager 37% as a team.

Towns had one assist.

When the Knicks swept (a very different) 76ers team in the 2026 playoffs, Towns averaged 7.5 assists per game, as New York’s title run relied heavily on his ability as a trigger man at the top of their offense. That was missing from Tuesday’s game plan. Early foul trouble played a role, but there is a track record that the more touches Towns gets, the more potent the Knicks’ offense can be.

The ball wasn’t sticking in Philly’s new offense

Other than Tyrese Maxey, who had 28 points, none of the Sixers had a great offensive night; James and Embiid combined to shoot 9-for-28. But the stars followed through with a principle Nurse has instilled since training camp: encourage ball movement.

And that was absolutely working. Embiid and James combined for 13 assists, while Maxey and Jaylen Brown combined for 11.

This is a cornerstone of how the 76ers want and need to play. They have a lot of offensive talent — Anfernee Simons‘ 13 points off the bench is part of that — but to use it they have to share the ball. This, in theory, should make Philadelphia a resilient team this season. It did on opening night.

Rookie Aday Mara instantly impacts the Wemby battle

Over the past year, Victor Wembanayama has given Oklahoma City nightmares game-planning for the team’s biggest obstacle to the Finals.

There is no easy solution, in fact there might ultimately not be a solution at all. But one of the measures the Thunder took was to draft Mara with the No. 12 pick in June, which they got from the LA Clippers as part of the Kawhi Leonard trade in 2019. Within minutes of Mara being selected on draft night he was talking about how he knew he was going to be needed for the Spurs matchups.

Mara didn’t dominate summer league, but he got in better shape as the offseason progressed. He had an excellent preseason and was effective right away as the first big off the bench.

Just as they did last season, the Thunder used Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso on Wembanyama. But adding Mara to the committee gives them another option in this fight.

Detroit’s defense already looks familiar

The Pistons won their opening matchup with the Celtics with offense, particularly the 10 combined 3-pointers by Duncan Robinson and Javonte Green as they scored a whopping 78 points in the second half. But the Pistons’ defense remained the same level of last season’s 60-win team despite some personnel changes, namely replacing Tobias Harris and Isaiah Stewart.

The Pistons, led by Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, were stout on the interior as they held the Celtics to just 34 paint points. And Detroit limited centers Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta to just two offensive rebounds, with Duren and Thompson combining for 14 defensive rebounds.