The Only 76ers News Today Comes From a Rookie's Swing Skill

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Monday, September 21

The 76ers had no news in the last day and a half. The sharpest thing written about this roster instead flagged what rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. still needs to prove.

76ers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

So what actually happened with the 76ers today?

Nothing did, not from the team itself. The closest thing to real news came from The Sixer Sense's Nicolas Kyle Pring, who reported rookie guard Labaron Philon Jr. could lose minutes in camp without a specific swing skill. That's a beat report, not a team announcement, but it's the sharpest word on this roster in a day and a half.

When do the 76ers play a real preseason game?

October 5, at home against the Knicks, opens a four-game preseason slate ahead of the regular-season opener October 20 at Madison Square Garden on NBC and Peacock. Philadelphia also plays at Brooklyn October 8, at Boston October 10, then hosts the Celtics again October 16.

Where do the injuries actually stand?

Adem Bona is day-to-day with a foot issue, targeting an October 1 return. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope carries the same day-to-day tag, dealing with a finger and arm problem, also aiming for October 1. Both point at the same date, three days ahead of the first preseason game.

Is the guard spot actually crowded enough to cost Philon minutes?

Count them: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Anfernee Simons, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Love, and now Philon, six guards fighting for one bench. Nick Nurse doesn't need a rookie who only defends; he needs one who can shoot or create, exactly the swing skill The Sixer Sense flagged. That's why the report matters this week.

What's the one number that explains the urgency?

A -0.1 net rating last season, 18th in the league on a 45-37 team that ranked 16th on both ends of the floor. That's the baseline this camp is trying to fix, and it's why every open spot, including a rookie guard's, gets earned instead of assumed.

The verdictCamp news is thin in September by design, but the real threads are already visible: two injuries aimed at the same return date, a crowded backcourt, and a rookie who has to earn what nobody is handing him.

When do the 76ers play their first preseason game?

October 5, 2026, at home against the New York Knicks.

When are Adem Bona and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope expected back?

Both are targeting an October 1, 2026 return, and both currently carry a day-to-day tag.