LeBron James just dropped a fascinating hint in his 76ers preseason debut

A lot of eyes were fixated on the Philadelphia 76ers finally trotting out their projected starting lineup this season, which is widely considered the most formidable fivesome in the league. Likewise, LeBron James made his preseason debut for the team, and his performance dropped a telltale sign about a massive change he is making for his new ball club this season, which is solely focusing on being a playmaker.

In 18 minutes of action, James attempted just one field goal attempt. While he did shoot eight free throws, it was pretty apparent all game long that scoring will not be a strong point of emphasis for him this season. As expected, he will be deployed as the main table-setter for the 76ers, helping the team unleash the sheer amount of talent it houses on the roster.

LeBron James dropped a huge clue about his big change for the 76ers

LeBron not being the main playmaker for his team is obviously far from a novelty. In all the teams he has played for, he was the catalyst on the offensive end with his elite passing and masterful ability to read and manipulate the game. The big change for him now that he is with the 76ers is his intentional penchant to defer on the scoring end.

With Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Jaylen Brown –– all of whom averaged more than 25 points per outing last season –– and a promising sophomore in VJ Edgecombe surrounding him, there is certainly a drastically reduced need for the King to funnel a lot of his energy into putting the ball into the hoop.

While he is already 41 years old, James remains one of the most elite playmakers in the NBA. That is something the 76ers have lacked in the last couple of years, so him being trotted out as a featured floor general is easily the ideal way to take advantage of his skills next to the team’s armory of similarly elite scorers.

Last season, James averaged just 20.9 points per game, which is tied for his career-low mark. As long as the 76ers stars are healthy for the most part, expect the superstar to probably turn in a lower average in the scoring department given his passing-oriented approach on offense this season.

While there will be times when LeBron will still be very assertive as a scorer, the 76ers are not going to operate with that design by default. This team is way too talented to overburden James at this point in his career, so a definitive shift to being a full-on playmaker without the usual scoring emphasis is simply the correct direction for this squad.