With two wins in the books, the early signs look promising for the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Following a roster overhaul in the summer that added LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, and Anfernee Simons (among others), they are looking like contenders in the Eastern Conference, on par with the most elite teams.

Tonight, the 76ers are facing their first major test, as LeBron James is not available. The longtime NBA veteran isn’t currently injured, but head coach Nick Nurse explained that his absence tonight is all part of the plan. Apparently, the decision was made by the medical staff, front office, and LeBron’s camp, putting the matter out of the coach’s hands.

“The medical team, LeBron’s team, and the front office group have been kind of working on that,” said Nurse. “And that’s where they landed. I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow yet. This is where we are tonight, and we’ll go from there.”

At 41 years old, we knew LeBron’s workload would be heavily managed this season, but not everyone was expecting him to take games off so early in the schedule. At this point in the season, everyone should be fresh, and back-to-backs should be bearable after a long summer off. Then again, James is a special case, and the 76ers firmly believe they have enough depth to cover for his absence.

“Certainly, there will be guys in and out… But the passing’s been great, his leadership and organization,” Nurse added. “Somebody’s gonna have to fill those two things, for sure. His rebounding’s been great, too.”

James joins Tacko Fall, Dominick Barlow, and Ariel Hukporti on the sidelines tonight, and Dean Wade was nearly among them. He was questionable before the game, but ended up getting cleared before tip-off. According to Nurse, it was really a matter of pain tolerance that was holding him up.

“Pain tolerance, and there’s a little bit of side-to-side stuff that’s been bothering him,” said Nurse. “He has been doing some things on court.”

If there’s one thing that’s becoming increasingly clear about the new-look 76ers, it’s that continuity will be a struggle this season. With LeBron James seemingly set on splitting back-to-backs, he’ll be frequently in and out of the lineup. That’s not to mention Joel Embiid, who can’t go a season without missing stretches of games.

For the 76ers to keep their momentum, they’ll need their other stars to step up and fill the gaps. Tonight, they’ll be looking to Tyrese Maxey to carry the offense, and he’s good for it with averages of 30.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game on 50.0% shooting this season. Jaylen Brown will also be a crucial factor as their best two-way wing player.

In the end, the 76ers are playing the long game with their athletes, and especially with LeBron. Rather than risk injury or burnout by playing him every game, they are being much more selective with when he takes the floor. The hope is that by limiting his workload now, they can keep LeBron ready for the playoffs, when they’ll need him the most.