October 05, 2026
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jaylen Brown only needed 17 minutes to score 22 points in his first preseason game with the Sixers.
PHILADELPHIA – The primary goal of any preseason game – even more than getting valuable reps in – is getting through 48 minutes without any injuries. And only two hours after Sixers head coach Nick Nurse reveled in his team's lack of injury-related drama, the Sixers watched a key bench player go down with what could be a season-ending injury.
While LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were in street clothes on Monday night, the Sixers' preseason opener against the New York Knicks came with plenty of buzz. And even after Ariel Hukporti went down grabbing his Achilles, an arena full of Sixers and Knicks fans had far more energy than the usual crowd.
Jaylen Brown suited up in a Sixers uniform for the first time, spending a half of action playing alongside VJ Edgecombe against the defending champions, whose entire title-winning starting five was in action for a similar amount of time.
If not for Hukporti's horrible break, this would have been a productive night for the Sixers. Brown had a tremendous scoring performance, Edgecombe submitted a strong all-around showing and multiple deep reserves stood out. But the Hukporti injury looms over it all, as the Sixers are already down a man.
Notes from the Sixers' first of four exhibition games, a 114-92 win:
• In addition to the three sidelined stars, the Sixers were without Anfernee Simons, Dominick Barlow, Adem Bona and Tacko Fall. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said that Simons ("a little muscle tightness") and Barlow ("a back") have been "in and out" of recent practices.
Starting alongside Brown and Edgecombe: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dean Wade and Hukporti. This is the sort of lineup Nurse could deploy often during the season; as he staggers his five stars, surrounding the Edgecombe-Brown pairing with off-ball specialists is a logical place to start. It would enable James to play with the lethal Maxey-Embiid duo; keeping the Sixers' two mainstays together would be ideal.
These lineups will be constructed to give Brown chances to hunt his own shots, and he certainly did that. In nine minutes and change, Brown scored 13 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 on threes and 2-for-3 on free throws. He heated up as the opening frame went on.
• Nurse said before the game that Hukporti needs to be "playing hard, being big, running the floor, rebounding, protecting the rim," and that "anything else he gives" is a bonus of sorts. Had Hukporti stayed in New York, he would have been in line to replace Mitchell Robinson as the backup five behind star Karl-Anthony Towns. Instead, the Knicks signed former Sixers center Andre Drummond; he made his return to Philadelphia coming off the bench on Monday.
The Sixers' significant firepower on offense should simplify things for their backup centers like never before. And given Bona's preseason foot injury, Hukporti has had a significant opportunity to pull ahead in the backup center battle.
Then, a disaster: Hukporti went down, not even five minutes into the game, immediately grabbing his Achilles. His current and former teammates surrounded him in what turned into a somber scene; Towns helped Hukporti to the tunnel. The Sixers, as of this writing, have not confirmed an injury diagnosis for Hukporti, signed to a one-year, $3.4 million contract in the offseason.
Ariel Hukporti leaves the game after suffering a non-contact injury. pic.twitter.com/IRjPYGhfYA
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 5, 2026
• With Hukporti unavailable, the Sixers had three-plus quarters to play without a true center. Jabari Walker was likely to back him up anyways; when Walker could not man the middle it was Wade's responsibility. Assuming Hukporti is sidelined indefinitely, Bona now has a strong hold on the backup center job, with Walker and Barlow as the Sixers' primary small-ball options. The Sixers' third two-way contract spot remains vacant; perhaps Hukporti's injury will make the team more inclined to focus on centers there.
Walker had a particularly excellent sequence early in the second quarter, sneaking in for an offensive rebound and easy layup, then stripping Towns, passing up a wide open dunk to give one to Brown, and knocking down his second quick-trigger triple of the game a few moments later. Walker's release on threes looks considerably faster right now; if the Sixers' continued confidence in his shot pays off he is a rotation-caliber player without question.
• Speaking of two-way players, Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert both entered the mix in the second quarter. Rupert knocked down an early triple; the more he does of that the better his chances will be of sticking around given his defensive aptitude. Shooting is Love's calling card, and he knocked down all three of his long-range tries in a terrific stint to end the half. However, Simons and rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. are each firmly ahead of Love in the pecking order.
CALEB LOVE AT THE BUZZER pic.twitter.com/2zl195zMOc
— MAL (@MindOfBron) October 6, 2026
• Philon was the Sixers' first substitution on Monday; he played about 12 straight minutes, scoring two points and dishing out a pair of assists. While Nurse said most of the Sixers' stars should end up playing in two or three of the team's four exhibitions, Philon may log more preseason minutes than anyone else given his youth and standing in the depth chart.
• Once the second half was underway, the Sixers' primary attractions were done for the night. In 17 minutes, Brown scored 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting (3-for-5 from three-point range, 3-for-5 on free throws), while Edgecombe played about 20 minutes and logged 12 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Jaylen Brown was HOOPIN' in the first half of his @sixers preseason debut 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) October 6, 2026
🏀 22 PTS (8-13 FGM)
🏀 3 3PM pic.twitter.com/LrHKZZkwUo
• Justin Edwards is probably on the outside looking in at the Sixers' wing rotation when the team is at full strength, but as long as Nurse is his coach there is a pathway to the Philadelphia native getting on the floor. He knocked down a couple of long spot-up threes on Monday, and that is just as pivotal to his rotation case as his defense.
• Much of the end of the game belonged to the Sixers' two-way and Exhibit 10 players. Jameer Nelson Jr. received a strong ovation from the crowd and showed some offensive juice. Dillon Jones, a two-way wing for last year's Knicks, is a sturdy defender. Saint Thomas is a bigger wing with a strong frame likely ticketed for the Delaware Blue Coats. Duke Miles, the team's priority undrafted signing, is a guard whose 2.6 steals per game led the SEC last season.
Up next: The Sixers will continue their preseason slate on Thursday in Brooklyn when they face the Nets.
