76ers Player Ratings: LeBron James' Failed Experiment Ends Philadelphia's Unbeaten Streak

The Philadelphia 76ers have looked nearly unbeatable early in the campaign after notching some spectacular wins over the Cavaliers and the Bucks . Unfortunately, Sunday night marked the end of their brief unbeaten streak, as the 76ers suffered a disheartening 106-93 loss at the hands of the Detroit Pistons .

Philadelphia’s status as a title contender this season rests on the strength of its star-studded core. While Tyrese Maxey , LeBron James , and Jaylen Brown were available for this matchup, the absences of Joel Embiid and V.J. Edgecombe became more prominent in light of the result.

With Embiid sidelined , Nick Nurse made an interesting decision to play James at center. While a promising idea given his positional versatility, this may have inevitably led to their defeat . Although Maxey led all scorers with 29 points, five assists, and four rebounds, his performance wasn’t enough to overcome Cade Cunningham ‘s outing of 26 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on 9-19 shooting from the field.

Given the limited contributions outside of James (18 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST) and Brown (16 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST), the 76ers looked out of their depth. Losses are an inevitability over the course of an 82-game season. Since pinning the loss on any one player is quite unreasonable, we examine and grade the performances of each player on the 76ers’ roster to gain a better understanding of their contributions.

Tyrese Maxey: A+ Game Stats: 29 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 11-24 FG, 1-5 3-PT FG, 6-7 FT, 34 MIN There is little that can be said to fault Maxey’s performance. Given his reputation as one of the best scorers in the league, it is safe to say that he lived up to it on Sunday night.

While navigating through screens and exploiting matchups on the wings, Tyrese Maxey made the best use of his skill set to keep the 76ers’ chances of winning alive. Although his perimeter shooting wasn’t up to the mark, his overall production and distribution were meaningful all the same.

Additionally, with three steals and a block, the guard was clearly impacting the game on both ends of the floor. Game Stats: 18 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 3 TOV, 8-15 FG, 0-3 3-PT FG, 2-6 FT, 33 MIN Sunday night’s game doesn’t necessarily mark the first time LeBron James played in the center position.

As one of the most versatile players in the game, James can play virtually any role. Although he succeeded in doing so on the offensive end, logging 18 points on some efficient shooting splits, his defense and rebounding were not as impressive. While James set all the right screens and moved like a center, he often found himself out of position for rebounds.

Again, blaming him for this, especially at this point in his career, is unfair. But issues such as poor free-throw shooting and costly turnovers don’t get a free pass. Adem Bona: A Game Stats: 6 PTS, 13 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK, 3 TOV, 3-5 FG, 0-0 3-PT FG, 0-0 FT, 25 MIN Adem Bona came off the bench as the backup center behind LeBron James.

Although his three turnovers were costly, the 23-year-old seemed like a more reliable presence down low than his 41-year-old counterpart. Bona’s influence was primarily on the defensive and rebounding end. With four stocks to his name and 13 boards in just 25 minutes, Bona played his part perfectly.

One could argue that he deserved a larger role in the 76ers’ rotation given the team’s roster issues. Unfortunately, those are decisions that must be reviewed by the team and coaching staff. Jaylen Brown: B+ Game Stats: 16 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TOV, 5-20 FG, 2-6 3-PT FG, 4-8 FT, 40 MIN The star who struggled the most against the Pistons was Jaylen Brown.

Although the 76ers’ superstar has proven himself as one of the best two-way players in the league, the 30-year-old could not find his stroke on Sunday. His stat line of 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists looks good on paper, but his shooting splits of 5-20 FG and 2-6 3-PT FG were abysmal.

When also factoring in how he was routinely hounded by Detroit’s players, such as Javonte Green and Ron Holland, Brown looked overwhelmed and hasty on many occasions. Labaron Philon Jr.: C+ Game Stats: 5 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TOV, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3-PT FG, 0-0 FT, 13 MIN Labaron Philon Jr. hardly received any playing time on Sunday night, notching only 13 minutes for the game.

Despite this, the rookie posted a solid stat line of five points, two rebounds, and one assist on 2-4 shooting from the field. Although his defensive involvement was limited, the guard provided a glimpse of his ability as an offensive player. For the most part, this aspect may not receive much attention this season.

Still, given his production in short bursts, the 76ers may see value in developing him as a bench scorer. Dean Wade: C Game Stats: 7 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 0 TOV, 2-4 FG, 1-3 3-PT FG, 2-2 FT, 37 MIN Dean Wade found himself in the starting lineup to provide length and defense to compensate for the absence of star players.

Although he succeeded in having an impact on the defensive end, notching two steals and a block, Wade was relatively quiet offensively. Unlike the 76ers’ previous outing, Wade found himself in a position to receive more opportunities to score on Sunday. Although he shot 1-3 from three-point range and scored the same amount of points, his rebounding was particularly better.

While he makes a strong case to be a rotation piece, the 76ers may benefit from making some adjustments to capitalize on his skill set. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: C Game Stats: 7 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TOV, 3-8 FG, 1-4 3-PT FG, 0-0 FT, 31 MIN Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was among the more disappointing players for the 76ers on Sunday night.

Although the veteran guard has been known to be an elite 3-and-D player, he struggled to establish himself on both ends of the floor. Although he still came away with seven points, three rebounds, and three assists, Caldwell-Pope’s 1-4 shooting from beyond the arc is quite underwhelming under the given circumstances.

Considering that the team needed greater production from him, especially in a smaller rotation, failing to impact the game may reflect poorly on him moving forward. Anfernee Simons: C- Game Stats: 5 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 1 TOV, 2-10 FG, 1-4 3-PT FG, 0-0 FT, 27 MIN Anfernee Simons , like Caldwell-Pope, was among the most underwhelming players on the 76ers’ roster.

Although he is an established scorer, the guard looked completely out of his depth, shooting 2-10 from the field and 1-4 from three-point range. His three rebounds, three assists, and three stocks are somewhat impressive in isolation. Still, for a certified bucket getter like Simons to come away with only five points in 27 minutes of action is largely disappointing, especially on a night when the 76ers needed the production.