The 76ers may have assembled a lineup that looks explosive on paper, but the math behind it is just as eye-catching as the names.
If Philadelphia rolls out Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid in 2026-27, the challenge won’t be talent. It’ll be figuring out how to keep everybody fed when there’s only one ball to go around.
That tension showed up in the usage numbers from last season. LeBron James posted a 27% usage rate, Maxey was at 29%, Edgecombe came in at 19%, Brown sat at 35% and Embiid checked in at 32%. Put those together and the total lands at 142%.
That ought to be interesting.
Brown arrives from the Celtics and James from the Lakers, bringing their own offensive appetites into a group that already includes three of Philadelphia’s best returners. The result is a roster that could be overwhelming for opponents, but only if the pieces can be sorted out cleanly.
The biggest question for the 76ers will come at the start and finish of games, when the highest-usage players are most likely to share the floor. That’s where the balancing act gets real.
There is some room to manage it in the middle stretches, since the team can stagger lineups and avoid piling all of those ball-dominant players together at once. That should make things easier to handle for long stretches of a game.
Still, this group doesn’t exactly scream off-ball movement. Maxey may be the exception, but the rest of the core wants the ball in its hands. That’s where the fit becomes the story.
LeBron’s recent team changes have often been about watching how he adapts to a new structure, and that dynamic figures to be front and center again in Philadelphia.
The 76ers are not guaranteed to solve it. But if they do, the upside is obvious.
In Other News...
Kevin Durant Just Escalated The LeBron Backlash Even More
Kevin Durant jumped into the middle of the latest LeBron James debate on social media, and he did not sound interested in letting the backlash settle on its own. When fans piled on over James decision to join the 76ers, Durant pushed back on the criticism, defended the move and argued that the reaction said as much about the people complaining as it did about James.
The exchange quickly widened beyond one roster decision, with Durant taking on the usual ring-chasing arguments and the familiar comparisons to other all-time stars. He also kept the conversation moving toward James place in basketball history, a topic that never stays quiet for long, and the response he drew from fans showed just how quickly this kind of discussion can spill into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Andre Drummond Had An Awkward Reaction To The Sixers' New Look
Andre Drummonds exit from Philadelphia already made for a notable East Coast subplot, and the timing only got more awkward once the 76ers reshaped their roster with the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown. Drummond, who recently landed with the New York Knicks after leaving the Sixers, had enough of a social media reaction to make clear he noticed the turn of events, even if he kept it light.
He also made a point of calming any overreading of the moment, signaling that he is content with where he is now. Still, in a division where the Knicks and Sixers will keep seeing each other, the comparison is hard to avoid, and Drummonds reaction adds a little extra edge to a matchup that already figures to draw plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies May Be On Verge Of Another Veteran Exit With KCP
After landing Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James to a two-year deal, Philadelphia is still working the edges of its roster, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has emerged as a name worth watching. The veteran guard brings the kind of two-way profile teams tend to value in July, with the ability to space the floor and hold up on the perimeter, which makes him a natural fit for a club that is clearly trying to bolster its depth around its new stars.
The 76ers are also expected to keep looking for one or two more veteran-minimum additions to round out the bench, so this is hardly a one-name pursuit. Caldwell-Popes situation in Memphis is the part to monitor, because if he becomes available, Philadelphia would have another experienced option to plug into a rotation that already looks very different than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]