LeBron James plays point forward as 76ers offense shines in first look at new star-studded lineup

The arrival of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a 76ers lineup that already features Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe raised a significant question in Philadelphia: Who's going to be on the ball?

James made his 76ers preseason debut Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets alongside each of his aforementioned teammates. He provided an early look at an answer.

The ball ran through James on Thursday and to strong effect. James played primarily in his point forward role, and Philadelphia's offense was well-oiled from the opening tip of an eventual 114-108 loss.

James assisted on two of Philadelphia's first three field goals, including a nice no-look dish through the lane to find Edgecombe on the baseline under the bucket.

Philadelphia's second field goal started with a hockey assist from James.

James found Joel Embiid with a bounce pass of the pick-and-roll on the wing, and Embiid drove to dish it under the hope to Brown for an easy dunk.

Philadelphia's ball movement was crisp, and the 76ers didn't look like a unit playing together for the first time while shooting 7 of 8 from the field to start the game.

James was content to facilitate and didn't take his first field goal attempt until 4:54 remained on the first-quarter clock. That was a drive to the bucket that resulted in a foul and two free throws.

He finished the first quarter with four points and five assists with all of his points arriving at the free thrown line. The 76ers held a 33-32 lead as Maxey carried the scoring load with 10 points.

James didn't log his first official field-goal attempt in the box score until a reverse layup on a nice pass from Maxey over the top of Brooklyn's defense. James converted for his fifth and sixth points with 6:52 remaining in the second quarter.

By halftime, the 76ers held a 58-56 lead. James finished with 10 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers and 1 steal in 18 minutes. Eight of his points came at the line as he shot 1 for 1 from the field, and he sat for the second half.

Maxey led the 76ers in the first half with 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field. Embiid had 6 points, 3 rebounds and 7 turnovers at the break, and Brown had 8 points on 2-of-4 shooting from the floor.

As a team, the 76ers shot 16 of 28 (57%) in the first half with assists on 12 of their 16 made field goals. Ball control was the biggest challenge as they committed 14 turnovers before the second half in which they deferred largely to the bench.

Brown led all 76ers for the game with 18 points as he played well into the third quarter.

This, of course, was a preseason exhibition and by no means a blueprint for Philadelphia's offense this season. But it would certainly be no surprise if this is how the 76ers intend to frequently operate once the games actually matter.