76ers' plan for LeBron James, Joel Embiid has an obvious flaw

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

76ers' plan for LeBron James, Joel Embiid has an obvious flaw

By Paul White | Last updated Oct 24, 2026 3:55 PM ET

The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten out to a hot start to the 2026-27 season by taking down the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, the two teams in the Eastern Conference Finals earlier this year.

They have a brand-new starting lineup that now features All-Star forwards LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, so it will take some time to build chemistry. That will be delayed this weekend, as the former has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks to manage a back injury.

That would be fine with all the talent on the team, but 76ers center Joel Embiid already confirmed that he won’t play in both of this weekend’s back-to-back games.

76ers make surprising decision on LeBron James, Joel Embiid

This means that the team will miss out on two valuable opportunities to build camaraderie.

Joel Embiid said he’s not playing both games of this weekend’s back-to-back. “I’m playing one of them.”
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) October 23, 2026

It is a good idea to manage Embiid and James’ health, but perhaps it would be a better idea to let them sit out of the same game. In this case against Milwaukee, Brown and point guard Tyrese Maxey should be good enough by themselves to get a win, so it makes little sense to keep Embiid out of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

They are a young, physical team who just gave center Jalen Duren a massive contract. Detroit thrives with physicality and a strong paint presence, so Embiid would have much more value in that game.

Regardless, Philadelphia should be able to escape the weekend with a 1-1 record in the two games before James and Embiid return to the lineup. But the team knows the expectations for this season are about the playoffs, and it needs every opportunity it can get to build cohesion.

Paul White

Paul White is a contract writer from Philadelphia who attended Penn State University. He has contributed hundreds of stories about the NFL and NBA over the years and now brings that experience over to Yardbarker. He is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan looking to bring the same passion from his city to sports media.

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