The Philadelphia 76ers made some major improvements this summer, turning Paul George and future draft picks into Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Anfernee Simons. On paper, they are easily one of the best teams in the league, but not everyone is sold on how it will all come together.
For NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who has been watching from the sidelines, there’s no doubt that this revamped 76ers team will be a problem for the next few years to come. In a recent chat with the media on Saturday, Durant even compared the situation to his move to the Golden State Warriors back in 2016. In Kevin’s view, the 76ers as currently constructed are almost just as stacked as that Warriors team, and he won’t make the mistake of underestimating their potential.
“The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on,” Durant told ESPN’s Ben Golliver. “[The 76ers] have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they’re going to be a contender. They’re going to be a fun team to watch. It’s going to be League Pass-worthy.”
LeBron’s free agency has been the biggest story of the summer, and he took special care not to let anyone know which way he was leaning. Only a select few people were involved in the process, and very few predicted he’d end up in Philly.
“I didn’t know at all,” Durant said on the decision. “LeBron is stealth like that. I know there’s a lot of noise around him, but you never know what’s on his mind. I’m happy for him. It’s a great decision for him to go to a team that has a good chance to win. Philly is a great fan base, a great market, and it’s great for the league. There were so many eyes that were tuned into his decision.”
Other than LeBron, Durant has more experience than anyone making these kinds of moves. He’s changed teams multiple times in free agency, each to varying degrees of scrutiny. So when he saw LeBron join a stacked 76ers team, it likely gave him flashbacks about signing with the 73-win Warriors all those years ago.
Of course, unlike that Warriors team, the 76ers are still figuring things out on the fly. With so many changes over such a short period, it will take time to properly incorporate everyone’s game, and success is far from a given. That’s why the next few months before training camp will be essential in setting the tone early and building up early chemistry.
As far as their chances of success, there’s a reason LeBron chose the Sixers out of all the other teams. With Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid, they have the most talented core in the league, and the King will only enhance their performance on the court. The key to making it work, among other factors, will be using LeBron in a playmaker type of role to set up teammates and simplify the offense.
Regardless of any initial growing pains, the 76ers will be in the title mix next season, and Durant has already accepted their place as a top contender. Fortunately, in Houston, Kevin won’t have to worry so much about what happens in Philadelphia, but you can bet he’ll be monitoring their situation closely as he angles to lead the Rockets to glory.
