Sixers pre-camp questions: Will Sixers fix their defensive rebounding problem?

Sixers pre-camp questions: Will Sixers fix their defensive rebounding problem? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers‘ new era is on deck.

With LeBron James and Jaylen Brown on board and training camp set to begin in late September, we’re taking a look at key questions for the 2026-27 Sixers.

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We’ve asked:

Next up: Will the Sixers fix their defensive rebounding problem?

The Sixers have been one of the league’s worst defensive rebounding teams in each of the last three seasons under head coach Nick Nurse.

According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers’ opponents rebounded 30.9 percent of their own misses last season, which ranked 27th in the NBA. The Sixers were 30th in that category for the 2024-25 season and 26th for 2023-24.

The issue hasn’t magically disappeared in the playoffs. Both the Celtics and Knicks had significantly superior offensive rebounding rates last postseason in their series against the Sixers.

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“Clearly, the rebounding, especially defensive rebounding, is an area of concern and we need to get better,” Bob Myers, the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, said in June.

In terms of defensive rebounding, how did the Sixers do this summer?

Andre Drummond, the NBA’s all-time leader in defensive rebounding percentage, is a notable departure at backup center. New Celtic Paul George has consistently been well above average among wings. Both Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes were statistically decent defensive rebounders for their position as Sixers, though neither is a major loss in that department.

James posted 5.4 defensive rebounds per game last season, his lowest since the 2014-15 campaign. Barring a drastic drop-off, he should still make a positive impact as a rebounder.

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Brown’s 5.8 defensive boards per game last year were a new career high. The five-time All-Star grabbed 14.8 percent of opponents’ missed field goals, per Cleaning the Glass. That ranked in the 90th percentile for NBA wings. Beyond the numbers, the Sixers are adding meaningful size and strength with both James (listed at 6-foot-9, 250 pounds) and Brown (6-6,…

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Publish date : 2026-09-23 16:12:00

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