The Sixers have spent the last eight years cycling through big names and big swings, from Jimmy Butler to James Harden to Paul George, and still kept running into the same wall in the conference semifinals. That’s why the current version of Philadelphia feels different on paper. Mike Gansey pushed all his chips in, and the result is a roster built to win now rather than preserve flexibility for later.
That kind of move brings its own risks, of course. Injuries can change everything, and so can the process of fitting together Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe. There’s even reporting that the Sixers are planning on LeBron James playing some time at the point guard position.
Still, when you stack this group against the best teams Embiid has played on, the case gets pretty strong. This looks like the deepest and most talented Sixers team of the Embiid era by a mile, at least on paper.
The 2018-19 team is the one that still lives loudest in the memory for a lot of fans. That roster had Embiid, Butler, Ben Simmons, JJ Redick and Tobias Harris, and at the time it felt like Philadelphia had finally assembled something serious.
But the cracks showed fast. The Sixers gave up Robert Covington and Dario Šarić to get Butler from Minnesota, then sent Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala to the Clippers for Harris.
After that, the bench thinned out in a hurry.
James Ennis III ended up as Philadelphia’s most productive reserve in the postseason, leading the bench with 7.5 points per game. Beyond him, the supporting cast leaned on names like Mike Scott, Boban Marjanović and TJ McConnell, and the center depth behind Embiid was Marjanović and Greg Monroe. Depth was a real problem, and it showed in the conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors, where Kawhi Leonard was the best player on the planet and Philadelphia came up short.
The 2022-23 group had more cohesion and more upside, and for a while it looked like it might be the answer. Embiid won Most Valuable Player, Harden led the NBA in assists, Maxey was starting to resemble the player he is now, and Harris and PJ Tucker filled out the starting five. If the Sixers had landed a high-level 3-and-D wing, this whole conversation might be different.
Instead, that team ran into its own limits in the conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Doc Rivers has long been criticized for not adjusting in the postseason, and that criticism was on display when Jayson Tatum caught fire in Game 6 and outscored Philadelphia 24-13 in the fourth quarter to force a seventh game. Harden had big moments in the series, but the disappearing acts were part of the story too.
What separates the current Sixers from those earlier versions is the blend of top-end talent, depth and adaptability. James brings a playoff résumé that needs no introduction.
Brown was central to Boston’s 2024 championship run. Embiid and Maxey are smarter now.
Nick Nurse has his own flaws, but he has also shown he can adjust, including engineering a 3-1 comeback against Boston in the first round this year.
Philadelphia is also coming off a game 7 win in Boston after trailing 3-1, with Embiid posting 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two blocks, Maxey adding 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and VJ Edgecombe finishing with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists.
This roster still doesn’t have a signature identity the way the Harden-Embiid pick-and-roll once did. But the ceiling is higher, the depth is better and the overall package is stronger than what came before it.
Entering the 2026-27 season, the Sixers have the kind of star power that raises expectations fast. On paper, they can stand with the reigning champion New York Knicks as the best team in the Eastern Conference, and maybe more.
In Other News...
Sixers Facing An Awkward Roster Move They May Have To Overpay For
The Sixers are already staring at a roster squeeze before the next season even gets rolling, and the pressure is tied to a move they appear eager to make. Philadelphia wants to keep Jabari Walker around for the 2026-2027 NBA season, while also creating room for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope once his buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies is complete, which means someone has to go.
Johni Broome has emerged as the odd man out in that equation, but moving him may not be simple. He has been shopped, yet teams around the league may ask Philadelphia to attach extra value just to take on his salary, turning what should be a straightforward cleanup move into the kind of deal that can linger far longer than the Sixers would like. [Read more 🡒]
LeBrons Arrival Already Has Sixers Fans In Full Frenzy
LeBron James arrival in Philadelphia has already turned into a merch sprint, with shops and makers across the city moving quickly to cash in on the buzz around his new two-year deal with the 76ers. Official gear and fan-made items are showing up everywhere from Dhwani Saraiya Art and Heavy Slime to Mitchell & Ness, Phillygoat, Philly Drinkers and Veterans Shirtium, giving fans plenty of ways to mark a move that instantly changed the look of the franchise.
The demand is real enough that some versions of James new No. 23 Sixers jersey have already sold out on Fanatics, a sign of how fast the excitement has spread beyond the usual opening-day hype. And with all the creative takes already out there, from polished team gear to more playful local designs, the only question now is how long it takes before the market gets even more crowded. [Read more 🡒]
Shaq Just Reignited The Joel Embiid Debate Sixers Fans Know Too Well
The 76ers long-term outlook has suddenly become a lot more star-studded, with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James joining Joel Embiid on the roster for the 2026-27 season. For a team that has spent so much of the Embiid era trying to find the right mix around him, that kind of talent infusion changes the conversation immediately, especially when one of the leagues most dominant big men is still the centerpiece.
Shaquille ONeal helped push that conversation back into the spotlight by suggesting Embiid can get back to being the leagues top big man if he stays healthy. It is the same familiar Embiid debate for Philadelphia fans, only now it comes with a deeper supporting cast and a higher bar for what the Sixers can be if their star center is available and operating at full strength. [Read more 🡒]