76ers consider LeBron James at centre after Hukporti injury

The Philadelphia 76ers are considering LeBron James for minutes at centre after Ariel Hukporti tore his Achilles in the team’s preseason opener. Hukporti, signed this offseason to be Joel Embiid’s primary backup, will miss the 2026-27 season.

Adem Bona remains an option, while Dominick Barlow, typically a power forward, could move to centre. Head coach Nick Nurse has also named James as a candidate for the role. “I think LeBron is another candidate. I think he’s played some small-ball five as well,” Nurse said.

What James has shown at centre

James has played centre before, though most of those minutes came during the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Cleaning the Glass lineup data cited in the source article, he logged 2,133 possessions at the position that season. His centre lineups recorded far fewer possessions in each of the next four seasons.

Those lineups have generally been stronger in attack than in defence. Across the five seasons examined, James-at-centre groups ranked at least in the 88th percentile for effective field goal percentage. In four of the five, they were in the 82nd percentile or better at avoiding turnovers.

Rebounding presents a clearer concern. Four of the five seasons’ James-at-centre lineups ranked in the 38th percentile or worse for offensive rebounding, while playing without a conventional centre also brings rebounding and rim-protection concerns.

A short-term option, not a simple fix

The 76ers have reason to plan for stretches without Embiid: their starting centre has played 96 games over the past three seasons. Bona and Barlow give Philadelphia options, but Hukporti’s absence reduces the depth available behind him.

James could help the team cover some backup minutes, particularly in suitable matchups. The question is how often Nurse can use him there without placing too much physical demand on a player who is about to turn 42. James is dealing with arthritis in his foot and had sciatica in his back last season.

For now, the small-ball lineup offers Philadelphia another way to manage Hukporti’s absence rather than a full-time replacement at centre. How much it is used will depend both on its performance and on discussions between James, Nurse and the team’s medical staff about managing his body through the season.