The Philadelphia 76ers looked strong through their first three games of the season, and several of those occurred without a key player in the lineup.
On Sunday night, they found out what happens when you face an Eastern Conference contender like the Detroit Pistons without your starting center, falling 106-93 for their first loss of this season.
Big man Joel Embiid was out for rest and recovery, and with the 76ers' backup center options already limited, it meant that LeBron James took on the role of starting center. Unfortunately, that put him in a precarious position against big men John Collins and Paul Reed.
Collins finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Reed had eight points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, James didn't do terribly, scoring 18 points and grabbing two rebounds, while also getting five assists and two steals.
"I mean [expletive] we got an MVP over here, I mean, I'm not here to have a sustainable role at the five. We got Joel Embiid on the team, you know? And so I don't I see it being a sustainable role, but it's a role that we know we can tap into if we need it," James said, adding, "I know I can play one through five, offensively and defensively if needed."
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"If I was to say I was signing here to have a sustainable role at the five, I don't think none of us here would want that," James also told reporters postgame.
James playing different roles on the court isn't anything new, but he's turning 42 in December, so banging around with big men in the paint probably isn't ideal. It could present problems should Embiid get sidelined for a significant stretch of time.
The 76ers have forward/center Adem Bona who gave the team some help off the bench in the loss. He finished with six points, 13 rebounds, and an assist.
However, the Pistons clearly dominated the boards, outrebounding the 76ers 54-37, including 15 offensive rebounds. No player on the 76ers beyond Bona had more than five rebounds in the losing effort. Embiid has averaged over 10.8 rebounds per game in his NBA career.
Detroit also led by as many as 21 points in the game over a team that had been undefeated to start the season, and came back from down 29 to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers. Philly only played eight players in the game, compared to 11 for the Pistons.
Embiid mentioned ahead of the game that he wanted to be able to play in this particular game, but it ultimately was up to the coaching staff and management to rest their star. That appears it will be the case with both Embiid and James throughout this regular season as the main goal is clearly getting to the postseason with a team healthy enough to compete.
That postseason is still a ways off, with the 76ers now 3-1. They'll look to bounce back against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. ET.
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