76ers training camp opens with Nick Nurse ready to experiment: 'We need to clearly define roles for everybody'

CAMDEN, N.J. —The closing moments of Day 1 of 76ers training camp offered a tiny window of insight into the centripetal forces that will govern this novel group. 

At the far end of the Penn Medicine Training Complex, with most other roster members departed for the day, assistant Phil Handy finished up a shooting circuit with veteran guard Anfernee Simons. Handy, a legendary player development coach, paused Simons’ shooting to walk through his mechanics. 

“I just want you to go short and quick,” Handy said, using his hands and feet to demonstrate while Simons clung to every word. Ensuing shots came in rapid succession, each one seemingly quicker and smoother than the last as Handy and fellow assistant Matt Brase looked on. 

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

The less work Simons needs to do when receiving the ball, the better. The 27-year-old will receive a profusion of catch-and-shoot opportunities in the minutes he shares the floor with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Role players like Simons will need to be even more rapid with their decision-making to maximize the gravity that comes with All-NBA talents, but it unlocks an even bigger theme. 

For the 76ers to reach the lofty goals that have been set — whether externally or internally — they’ll need to be a much improved version of themselves. Not simply by the splashy summer additions, but by Nick Nurse’s tactical setup. 

“I got an idea as I do with every guy with what their role should be,” Nurse told reporters on Tuesday. “And even bullet points underneath, but I want to see the group for a couple weeks before I start trying to narrow that down. I want to collaborate with each player on that. We need to clearly define roles for everybody.”

Last season was a letdown by most metrics: 26th in effective field-goal percentage, 21st in true shooting, 23rd in 3-point rate, 28th in assist rate. But given the fact that nearly 80% of the 76ers’ possessions came against a set defense, solving their half-court issues seems to be a non-negotiable. It’s difficult to recall any offseason by any team in history that added two players as gifted as James and Brown from a pure mental standpoint. Mixing in their abilities to process real-time defensive happenings and manufacture quality looks is arguably more important than anything else this team does this season. 

“I think a lot of things will help the efficiency,” Nurse said to Yahoo Sports. “I think we’ll have a little bit better pace. Passing — I think these guys are a little bit bigger and have better vision. And obviously they can score too. That helps.”

The 76ers were near the top of the league in possessions that directly affect final outcomes of games, yet ranked just outside the bottom 10 in offensive rating in such high-leverage minutes. It’s why the totality of their offseason was critical; adding floor spacers like Simons, Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gives them the necessary release valves to punish aggressive defensive man-to-man schemes that pressure Maxey/James/Brown and also those that dare to mix in zone coverages as well. 

“A couple of our metrics would [show] we did really well at generating the shots, but then the percentages — effective field goal or whatever you like — show we’re getting a lot of shots we wanted to get,” Nurse said. “So hopefully, we have a few more shot makers.”

Glancing at their new-look roster, there are a few ways to achieve some of the goals Nurse outlined.

A league-average group in pace won’t stand to see that much of a jump unless shot profiles are altered, in this case Joel Embiid’s. A whopping 35% of his shots came via self-creation, whether by post-ups or isolations. Reworking his blend to incorporate more rolls and quicker actions should help, as well as removing the wear and tear that comes with constantly backing down opposing bigs every night. Using Maxey in an off-ball role and maximizing his relocation and speed will also aid in the 76ers’ overall progression. 

They are the NBA’s most interesting team and with Nurse, a championship coach and mad scientist in his own right, these coming days should fortify what is shaping up to be quite the experiment. 

Knicks Notes: Jalen Brunson talks wrist rehab, complimentary remarks from LeBron James

At a news conference on the second day of Knicks training camp Tuesday, star point guard Jalen Brunsonand head coach Mike Brownspoke about the offseason, the upcoming campaign, and more.

Brunson bounces back after wrist injury 

In July, Brunson underwent surgery to repair a wrist injury sustained midway through the Knicks’ victorious playoff run, leaving him in a cast for about two months and rendering him unable to complete his usual offseason training regimen.

Nevertheless, Brunson said he feels no need to “catch up” on practice ahead of the 2026-27 season.

“I just feel like I didn’t do my normal summer stuff,” he said. “I feel good, but also I know that it wasn’t just my normal summer.”

Brunson sustained the injury — a tendon-bone friction issue in his left wrist caused by the repeated motion of shooting the ball — in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals but continued to play through the remainder of the Knicks’ title hunt, averaging 28 points and six assists across the entire postseason and securing the honor of NBA Finals MVP.

Two years earlier, Brunson fractured his hand on the same side in a season-ending loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He compared that injury to the one in his wrist, noting that although the rehab periods were similar, he had more time to recover during the offseason last time.

“It was similar, but I was shooting earlier than I was this time,” Brunson said. “I was in a cast longer than I was before, when I broke my hand. Plus, [surgery] was a little bit earlier — I think I got surgery right after it happened. I didn’t get surgery until like three weeks later [this time] because I didn’t know it was a necessity.”

Brunson announced Sept. 24 that he’s “fully cleared” for the upcoming season.

Brunson returns respect from LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo

Since leading the Knicks in their historic title run, Brunson has received praise from across the league — including from stars like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Both players chose to shout Brunson out, along with the rest of the Knicks, in their respective media day comments Monday. James described Brunson as “unbelievable,” and Antetokounmpo called him “one of the best players” in the NBA.

“I really do appreciate it,” Brunson said. “I respect the hell out of them. It’s honestly really cool … I really do appreciate it, and it shows where I’ve grown, but still got a lot of work to do.”

In the same news conference Monday, James stated that, had the Knicks not won the championship last season, he would have wanted to sign with them as a free agent in the offseason, reaffirming the sentiment his agent expressed in early July. 

“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden,” James said. “One of the best places I’ve ever played.”

Instead, the 41-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Mike Brown weighs in on White House visit

Head coach Mike Brown took the podium after Brunson and, among other things, gave an update on whether or not the team has accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to the White House following their title win.

“That’s still something that our guys, the organization is internally discussing,” Brown said. “Whatever we decide to do, we’ll all do together.”

Knicks owner James Dolan stated on the radio after the team’s victory in June that they would indeed make the trip to Washington, D.C. 

A visit would make the Knicks the first NBA team to visit the White House under a Trump presidency.

Kristaps Porzingis out indefinitely with personal 'health issue,' will miss start of Warriors training camp

Kristaps Porzingis is going to miss the start of training camp due to a “health issue,” Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said on Monday. 

Specifics of the health issue are not yet known, though it’s been something that has been impacting Porzingis over the past two seasons. Porzingis won’t travel with the team to their training camp in Hawai’i. He’ll miss at least their first four practices and their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers in Honolulu. 

It’s unclear how long Porzingis will be sidelined, though his absence is being considered indefinite.

“I’m not marking him down as being out to start the season or anything like that,” Dunleavy said, via ESPN. “He’s just not available this week.”

The Warriors landed Porzingis ahead of the trade deadline last season. While he missed time at the beginning, he appeared in 15 total games with the team and averaged 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. The team then signed him to a two-year, $40 million deal this past summer. 

Porzingis, who was originally selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2015, has been a very productive player when healthy. He helped the Boston Celtics win the NBA Finals in 2024, too. But his health has been a significant issue for him in recent years. Porzingis has missed a combined 90 games over the past two regular seasons due to the lingering health issue, which started after a long-running respiratory viral illness he picked up with the Celtics in 2025. 

Porzingis was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, when he was with the Celtics and even left a playoff game early in the Eastern Conference semifinals early because he “couldn’t breathe.” He said last year that there were times when his heart rate would spike to 130 beats per minute when he would go from lying down to standing up, and all he could do was “just lay on the couch and be a house cat.”

It is unclear if that is the same health issue that Porzingis is dealing with now. The Warriors, however, thought that Porzingis was in a good place health-wise this summer. He appeared to be cleared for training camp as recently as last week. Dunleavy, though, said he received a call on Sunday night about the health issue. It just “kind of popped up,” he said. 

“We feel comfortable with everything [about Porzingis’ status]” Dunleavy said. “[Disappointed that he won’t be out there, but it’s early, so don’t want to overreact to anything.”

Pistons still awaiting Jalen Duren decision as training camp begins

Luka Dončić says it 'feels great' to be the leader of the Lakers following LeBron James' exit

Luka Dončić is used to being the alpha on his team. Dončić filled that role with the Dallas Mavericks, where he became the team’s de-facto star and leader on and off the court.

A surprising trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025 upended all of that. With LeBron James in town, Dončić had to adapt to a new role. He may have still been the best player on his team, but James was the captain of the ship.

With James now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Dončić said it “feels great” to assume his old role and take over as the Lakers’ leader.

Dončić’s comment was probably not meant to be a dig at James, as the two seemingly got along very well with the Lakers. It was likely more a comment on Dončić feeling comfortable as a team leader, a role he filled for years with the Mavericks.

Dončić explained as much while giving his answer. “I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it’s not new to me,” Dončić said. “I feel great. I feel excited.”

The shift from James to Dončić started before the offseason. With James out with an injury early last season, Dončić put the team on his back, averaging 34.4 points per game over his first 10 games.

That seemed to set the tone for the season, as Dončić’s average barely went down even when James returned. Dončić averaged 33.3 points the rest of the way, firmly putting himself in the MVP discussion until a late injury knocked him out of the running to win the award.

With James now gone, the Lakers are officially building around Dončić. This offseason, that meant trading for Walker Kessler and re-signing Austin Reaves. Dončić spoke extremely highly of both players when asked about them Monday.

Now that the team has a new look, the Lakers are looking for a better result in the playoffs. After losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, Dončić said the team’s goal is a championship. “If that’s not your goal,” Dončić said Monday. “I don’t know what you’re doing here.”

Watch highlights from Knicks' Jalen Brunson hosting Saturday Night Live