Undoubtedly, LeBron James significantly bolsters the Philadelphia 76ers. But is James’ presence in his 24th season enough for the Sixers to win an NBA championship?
A handful of rival NBA assistant coaches shared mixed feelings with Fadeaway World on whether James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe will co-exist. The reasons? Despite their top-heavy talent, the Sixers field numerous questions. How will James, Brown and Maxey share ball-handling duties? Can James and Embiid stay mostly healthy? Can they establish enough chemistry to threaten the defending NBA champions (New York Knicks) and two Western Conference Finals contenders (Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs) considering all three teams boast elite talent, depth and continuity?
Editor’s note: All interviews were conducted separately. They have also been edited for clarity.
What was your reaction to James joining the Sixers?
Assistant coach #1: “I’m shocked. He’s already experienced teaming up with talent before. But it’s a real risky move as far as trying to get Maxey, Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, Embiid and himself to co-exist and be on the same page. This isn’t fantasy basketball. It’s not that easy. He knows that.”
Assistant coach #2: “I don’t think their championship fortunes change just because they got LeBron. They already had a solid team. But getting LeBron probably helps them more with motivating other people on the team by example. But as far as the team itself before he went there, they were still in good shape to be a solid team. I don’t know if they were a championship team. And I don’t know still if they’re a championship team with LeBron.”
Assistant coach #3: “Any team that LeBron joins get better. He’ll help them. But anytime you start mixing different players, there is always uncertainty. There are teams that have been really good in the past that didn’t meet expectations. Then there are some that have. So this is a ‘TBD’ situation. But you would rather take the talent. LeBron makes the Sixers better. He makes any team better automatically.”
What do you think of the fit?
Assistant coach #1: “I don’t question anything about LeBron, and if he can lift the ceiling. I just question how quickly the coaches and the players are going to be able to figure this out. Jaylen has been in one place his whole career. Just trying to fit him in is going to be hard. This is a new experience for him. Sometimes, it’s not as easy as it seems to go out there and play basketball. I just think they’re going to have a lot to figure out. Embiid can’t move. He’s slow. He doesn’t play every game. He struggles to get up and down the floor. LeBron is older, too. Then you have two little speed guards.
It’s a lot in the recipe. You throw it in the pot. That’s a lot to figure out. It’s hard coaching talent in the NBA, anyways. It’s such a delicate balance. Doing that on that scale and that level of attention and expectations, it’s a gift and a curse. I’m happy for Nick Nurse. At the same time, I’m scared for his health.”
Assistant coach #2: “They have a lot of glittery players that are going to have to play together. But these All-Star teams have not fared in the NBA over the course of time. We’ll see how this one works. If you’ve talked to anyone that has ever coached LeBron, that’s a bit of a different deal. He’s a preeminent player. But it’s interesting to me that we’re making these kinds of waves over a 41-year-old player. I’m a bit cynical about it.”
Assistant coach #3: “LeBron brings a level of IQ that is elite. He’s one of the smartest ever to play the game. Physically, he’s powerful and skilled. The only negative is his age as well as the uncertainty on how many minutes he plays and how long he lasts. But the certainty is that he’s very smart and very skilled in all things with passing, dribbling and shooting. He’s not as good of a shooter as some, but he’s still skilled. He has a high IQ. But the other uncertainty would be how does that team mesh? How do they get along? How do they go? Nothing is guaranteed in our league with health, connectivity and success.”
How do you see LeBron, Tyrese and Jaylen figuring out playmaking and scoring duties?
Assistant coach #1: “LeBron is going to be the glue, and will try to make it all work where he’s facilitating. LeBron will put those guys in a position where their strengths are so they can score. His job is going to be playmaking. He’s also going to steal buckets with his size, strength and leakouts. But he’s going to have to facilitate cohesiveness out of those lineups.”
Assistant coach #2: “Brown is a difference maker. I think Brown is actually a better all-around player than [Jayson] Tatum. So the Sixers have Brown as their top guard. Maxey is good, but he’s really good when he’s able to take unlimited shots in a game and not have too many constraints on him. I like Edgecombe as a player. So LeBron can step in there and, through his reputation, convince everyone into thinking that he’s the man. But how they make this all work is up to their mastermind, Nick Nurse. Management and ownership do the grocery shopping. The coaches then have to cook the meal. Sometimes you have the ingredients there. But we’ll see. Nick is a great coach. But I don’t see the fit between Nick Nurse and LeBron James. That’s going to be an interesting one.”
Assistant coach #3: “I don’t know if LeBron has to have the ball in his hands all of the time. But it’s good to put the ball in his hands. He makes everyone else better. That’s one thing he does more so than the others. He makes others better. With the ball in his hands, he’s able to make plays and reads. Both Jalen and Tyrese are both powerful with the ball, but more as scorers and less as playmakers. LeBron is more of a playmaker. So I would anticipate that’s one of the things they’ll have to figure out. You can say there’s not enough basketballs to go around. But I think it’s a good problem to have. They’ll have to figure it out.”
How do you see LeBron and Embiid working?
Assistant coach #1: “It’s scary. It can be unstoppable. Or it can be hard to watch. They’re both slow and old. When you get tired and you drain the clock and are methodical and just isoing with brute force when you’re not young, spry and athletic, that can look awful. Everyone is just standing around. And then you end up falling down because you’re old.”
Assistant coach #2: “You can get out the pom poms for Embiid. But his career has been filled with shortcomings and injuries. Embiid can do down with an injury at any moment. If he does, at least LeBron can pick up the slack in some ways in the frontcourt. He can give them something that they haven’t had. But Embiid will likely miss a lot of games again. Embiid can be good, but he plays his own game. You talk about building a team of guys that pass the ball to each other, screening and making each other look good. That’s not how Philadelphia has played.”
Assistant coach #3: “LeBron is a great passer. So there is a chance they can be in some ball-screen actions. People may go under LeBron and make him shoot, but he’s a capable shooter. You can’t just give LeBron shots. Embiid is a versatile post-up player and can give people space. Are you giving Maxey and Brown open shots? They can score on catch-and-shoot 3s. So when you post Embiid, that is a problem for many teams. LeBron and Embiid are also powerful and potent scorers, and they’re big on defense. But will LeBron ignite Embiid? Maybe. So you’re dealing with semi-good problems to have.”
Where do you rank the Sixers among contenders?
Assistant coach #1: “We’ve seen these last few years that this is wide open. New York had so many bad stretches last season. But they got their sh—together right at the end. The Sixers are right there. If they can figure it out quickly and find some chemistry and continuity, they could dominate out there. So it’s open. The West is more top-heavy. The East has turned into a beast. You have to go to Miami on back-to-backs and play Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Bam [Adebayo]. They can beat you just out of playing hard. Orlando is going to be better with a new coach. New York has that experience with winning it all. Detroit is good. Cleveland is good. It’s tough out there.
But to me, San Antonio has solidified itself. I would be shocked if San Antonio doesn’t win the title next season. The Spurs got better. Wemby is an incredible basketball player and person. I think OKC got worse [with their cost-cutting deals]. With Philly on paper, you have to consider them as a contender. They are more talented than any team in the East. Usually talent won championships. But lately it hasn’t always worked out like that.”
Assistant coach #2: “I wouldn’t make them out as the Eastern Conference favorite. Other people may do that because they look at the talent. But I wouldn’t look at it that way. If they hit the ground running, things go well and they mesh as a team, they could be a factor. But New York is the best team in the East. Boston is going to be in the mix. Miami will be better. Indiana is going to be better. Toronto is going to be better. Then you have San Antonio and Oklahoma City. OKC will be interesting because they changed their chemistry a bit. Their chemistry will still be good, but they lost some shooting and defense. Denver is still a somebody if it can stay healthy.
There are a lot of teams in the West that will be good. Houston is going to be better and is healthier. Dallas is going to be good. Dusty [May] will be a really good coach and they have a lot of talent. Maybe Minnesota will drop off a bit. I don’t know how they can’t with the loss of Naz Reid and Julius Randle. The Lakers should be pretty good. The Clippers will be better than people think.
Everyone gets caught up in the glitter of the names that the Sixers have coming in and are going to be great. That’s one aspect. I listed a bunch of different teams that have a lot of good talent. The talent is there. But you can’t be owner fans and just bring in all of this talent and think they’re going to be fantastic. The talent is just one component. If you don’t have it, you can’t compete. But there are lot of other teams with talent, size and chemistry. It’ll be about which one will be put together with how they play together, care about winning and care about each other. That’s the bottom line.”
Assistant coach #3: “They’ll be at the top. They have a real chance to win it all. Before, they kind of had a chance. Now they have a real chance. On paper, their talent overrides the others. But the question is can they be connected and play at a high level collectively? The game is not an individual equation. It comes down to individual performances sometimes. But it’s a collective effort. Can they maximize the individual talent collectively. So we don’t know. We know they have a bunch of high-level talent on one team. But can they collectively bring it together? That’s on their coach and their players. So all ‘TBD.’ Health and happiness will all be part of this.”
Mark Medina is an NBA contributor to Fadeaway World. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
Well LeBron you Should have STAYED with the Lakers. It seems You Cannot Help another team Prove worthiness of. Haters going to Hate. Doubters are going to Doubt, and Negativity Comes From All Walks of Life.
Go #PHILLY Geaux!!!🖤💙❤️🤍