LeBron James addressed the Philadelphia 76ers’ rebounding struggles, the challenge of playing without Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, and his temporary role at center after Sunday’s 106-93 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
James finished with 18 points, five assists and two rebounds in 33 minutes as Philadelphia suffered its first defeat of the season. The 76ers fell to 3-1 after struggling to contain Detroit on the glass, losing the rebounding battle 54-37.
James acknowledged that Philadelphia needed to be more physical when pursuing rebounds against a Pistons team that remained dominant despite missing injured Jalen Duren.
“We definitely got to do a better job of having a man on man, body on body,” James said. “They’re a great rebounding team no matter even Duren and Thompson is out. They’ve shown that over the last few years, so just got to do a better job at it.”
Philadelphia also had to adjust to playing without Embiid and Edgecombe, leaving the team with a different lineup and fewer familiar combinations.
“It’s the first time that starting five has played together,” James said. “As the more minutes we get, the more games that we get under our belt, the more time we get, we’ll start to understand what works well for us.”
The 41-year-old also discussed Detroit’s physical defensive approach, saying the 76ers needed to play through contact rather than become preoccupied with officiating.
“You have to be able to try to play through the grabs, through the physicality, try not to worry about the whistle being called,” James said. “They allow them to get handsy and get physical. So it’s good basketball. It’s fun to be out there and playing physical.”
James praised Adem Bona for providing energy and rebounding off the bench. Bona finished with six points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in 25 minutes.
“For a team for us who wasn’t rebounding well, he came in, gave us that spark on the rebound, offensively and defensively,” James said. “I think his energy and his effort is going to be great for our team throughout the whole season.”
James also explained the differences between playing on the wing and operating as a center, a role he filled in Philadelphia’s smaller lineups.
“Offensively, you’re setting a lot more screens, trying to get your guards open,” he said. “And then defensively, you become kind of the second line of defense instead of the third line.”
However, James made clear that playing center was an emergency option rather than a long-term plan with Embiid on the roster.
“I know I can play one through five, offensively and defensively, if needed,” he said. “But sustainable role of playing the five, I don’t think that’s it. If I was to say I was signing here to have a sustainable role at the five, I don’t think none of us would actually want that. I can do it, but that’s not — we have him.”
Philadelphia will look to bounce back Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers.
