Dean Wade has already gotten a close look at the 76ers’ new starting five, and his read on them after Monday’s practice was blunt: when they’re locked in, they are a nightmare.
Philadelphia is rolling into the 2026-27 season with a lineup that can overwhelm teams in a hurry, featuring Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Joel Embiid. Wade, working against that group in practice, said the second unit hasn’t been failing on defense so much as getting buried by the quality of the shots the starters are creating.
“As a second unit, we’re out there, and we’re picking up,” Wade said, via PHLY Sports. “It’s not like we’re messing up on defense at all.
They are just creating good shots every single time. I mean, it’s like, okay, they throw it to Joe on the block and like we’re going to double, but who you going to double from?
They’re cutting on the backside; they’re spacing.
“I feel, especially like today, it was impossible to keep those guys out of the paint, keep them out of the extra shot, extra sprays, and everything.” Wade continued.
“It’s tough. When they’re all super engaged and flowing like they were today, they are a tough team to deal with.”
The talent level is obvious on paper, too. Four players in that group averaged more than 20 points per game in the 2025-26 season, with Edgecombe the lone exception after posting 16.0 points per game as a rookie. That kind of scoring depth gives the 76ers a margin for error most teams simply do not have.
There are still going to be growing pains once the games count. A new group that loaded doesn’t just snap into place overnight, and the 76ers have only seen this starting five together once in preseason, during Thursday’s 114-108 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. There were rough stretches in that game, but the expectation is that those issues will smooth out.
James also gives Philadelphia a clear organizer on offense. Head coach Nick Nurse has already said the 41-year-old’s job is to create for others, and that’s a dangerous assignment for a player with his passing ability.
Wade, who signed a four-year, $39 million deal this summer, also expects the 76ers to punish teams before defenses can get set.
“We got Maxey and VJ like those guys and Bron, JB, all those guys are fast,” Wade said. “I mean, they’re hard to stop by themselves in transition.
All of those guys running at the same time. It’s like I don’t know how we wouldn’t be one of the most efficient transition teams.
Those guys are getting out like that and running and just pushing the pace. They’re so fast and so dynamic.”
That kind of speed and shot-making is going to create headaches everywhere on the floor. It should also open things up for role players like Wade, who went undrafted in 2019 and was brought in mainly for his defense.
He’s getting cleaner looks already, and the shooting has followed so far - Wade has hit 42.9% from three in preseason. If that carries over, this group becomes even tougher to slow down.
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Nick Nurse and his staff are using this final tune-up to sort through those competing factors and settle on the shape of the opening-night group. The challenge is familiar for a team still trying to define roles: weigh the performances that have stood out, account for who is available, and decide which young players are ready for real minutes when the regular season begins. [Read more 🡒]