On Thursday night, the Philadelphia 76ers' vaunted quintet of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and VJ Edgecombe shared the court for the first time in an NBA game. It might have been preseason, but it must have been a treat for the fans at attendance in Barclays Center to see that stacked unit suit up together.
However, it's going to take time for this veteran 76ers team to jell. After all, they are integrating a lot of new parts. And this was ever obvious in one play during their 114-108 loss in preseason to the Brooklyn Nets.
The 76ers found themselves on a two-on-one fastbreak, with Embiid leading the runout alongside rookie guard Labaron Philon. Embiid threw a behind-the-back pass to Philon, and with only Egor Demin as the last line of defense, it looked like Philly was going to score a surefire basket.
Alas, Philly played with its food. Philon threw a lob to Embiid, and with Embiid not wanting to put undue stress on his legs, he caught the ball flat-footed on the ground. He then just tried to lay it up, but was unable to finish.
Article Continues BelowShaqtin in the preseason lol pic.twitter.com/yxzoReN28W
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) October 9, 2026
It looked like Embiid was at least going to have a second crack at the basket courtesy of an offensive board. But this was not to be. Demin tipped the ball, which allowed Keon Ellis to retrieve it to cap what was a blunder for the 76ers.
Philon has to know that Embiid, after multiple knee operations, is not going to go upstairs, especially in a preseason game. But the 76ers star, the former NBA MVP, also has to finish his gimmies at the basket.
At the very least, the 76ers are expunging all the shenanigans out of their system in preseason. The expectations are high in the City of Brotherly Love, after all.