PHILADELPHIA -- In order for the Philadelphia 76ers to succeed on the defensive end of the floor, they need to seal possessions with rebounds. That was a struggle area at times for them in 2025-26 and coach Nick Nurse and Co. will need to solve that problem before the season begins on Tuesday against the New York Knicks.

The Sixers had some struggles rebounding the ball in the preseason as they were out-rebounded 63-34 in an Oct. 10 preseason loss to the Boston Celtics and then 63-46 in a loss to the Cs on Friday. Granted, it's the preseason and the Sixers had some strange lineups out there at times, but LeBron James knows that Philadelphia will need to be better on the glass, especially when they go small-ball with Dean Wade or Jabari Walker at center.

"It just depends on that team that you're playing," James said of the rebounding. "Obviously, every personnel is different. I know the way teams crash. Obviously, Boston is a team that kind of crashes four, three at most of the time. So you gotta get bodies on bodies. If you're out there with a guy that's a really great offensive rebounder, sometimes you do have to put two on it, especially if as you said we got the small ball line."

The Sixers got off to a slow start in Friday's matchup with Boston before responding in the second and third quarters. They have the talent to succeed in all areas, but it will come down to sticking their nose in there and fighting for rebounds. The Celtics are a team that fights on the glass, Jaylen Brown and James know this, so now it's just about correcting the problem.

"Gotta get in the fight," Brown explained. "Get on the glass. Boston does a good job. They teach that to crash hard, and I think we did better of matching their level of intensity--second and third quarter, but definitely room for improvement. We’ve got to see that, and we’ve got to do that for other teams. We’ve got to be the harder-crashing team. We’ve got to win the margins."

As the Sixers now prepare for the Knicks, who will feature some great offensive rebounders such as former Sixers big man Andre Drummond, they will need to seal possessions by hitting the glass. That will be one big area of focus for Nurse and the coaching staff.

"I think we're doing a pretty good job of checking," Nurse started. "But, we're not, in, we're checking out, now we know the ball's bouncing up there, now you gotta go chase it. A lot of those are coming across the free-throw line. I thought we made our move to block out, but the ball is now live, and we gotta get more bodies in there and run those down, or at least tip them. So, again, I think it's a double reaction to finish off the defense. That's certainly going to be one of the focuses."