Soon, the New York Knicks are going to open their preseason against the Philadelphia 76ers.
It will be a small preview of what’s to come in late October, when the two teams meet for the season opener at Madison Square Garden.
Since it’s only preseason–and the first game at that–there is a strong chance that the matchup misses a chunk of star power.
From the Sixers’ side, the team is seemingly discussing the idea of rolling out starters for some preseason action. Don’t rule out Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Jaylen Brown from Monday’s game just yet.
The Sixers Reveal Early Preseason Plan
“We certainly want them to get out there and play,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said, regarding the idea of rolling out starters during the preseason, per Philly Voice.
“I think they’ll all get out there, and I would say, kind of like we’ve done in the past, the guys that are available would play a bit in the first half. The second half, probably looking at the other guys and all that stuff. But as we get closer to the end, we want to get some time out there together, for sure.”
Since the 76ers and the Knicks have a few more days before they meet in South Philly for the first preseason action in October, the Sixers haven’t made any status updates on any players just yet.
Heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season, Joel Embiid suited up for the Sixers in a preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It showed that the star center does have a willingness to go out there when healthy, even if the game doesn’t count for anything.
While LeBron James doesn’t shy away from preseason action, he did miss the entire run for the Los Angeles Lakers last year due to a setback. So far, he’s been totally healthy this offseason, which is a great sign for his availability before the regular season tips off.
The Knicks don’t have any answers from the 76ers yet on the availability front of their stars, but facing their top talent can’t be ruled out just yet.