LeBron James and Jaylen Brown can’t get Joel Embiid’s 76ers over the line and achieve ‘The Process’
It took 25 days, but LeBron James has decided to close the curtain on his career as part of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The blockbuster news that the 41-year-old was teaming up with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Joel Embiid was revealed on Friday and sent shockwaves around the NBA.
Even writing the words now – LeBron James is a Sixer – doesn’t quite feel real yet, but perhaps this moment was always what Embiid meant by ‘Trust the Process’.
Twenty-five days ago, James announced that he would be departing the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons.
Having completed his 23rd season in the Association, the fact that the Lakers were his longest-tenured team – if we discount the fact that his 11 years with the Cleveland Cavaliers occurred over two spells – stunned many.
It really didn’t feel that long, and was not exactly his most successful stint, despite leading the LakeShow, alongside Anthony Davis, to the 2020 NBA championship, albeit in the COVID-19-shortened campaign.
But when Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka swung a mega trade to bring six-time NBA All-Star Luka Doncic to the City of Angels, the writing was on the wall for James’ time with the Purple and Gold.
Despite reportedly being open to all 29 other teams in the NBA, that list was quickly whittled down to three teams – the Miami Heat, the Cavs, and the Sixers.
The Golden State Warriors and teaming up with Stephen Curry also looked to be an option James’ camp explored.
But ultimately, staying in the Western Conference where the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets play, heavily diminished James’ chances of finishing his illustrious career with a fifth NBA ring on his hand.
On paper, it appears as though the 76ers have somehow constructed a super team.
Except, there is still very much more to iron out before claims that ‘they’re going to win it all in 2027’ can be made.
James and Brown’s fit together is questionable
The City of Brotherly Love landing James may have never materialized had they not conducted business earlier in free agency, in which they acquired $304 million Brown from the Boston Celtics in exchange for an injury-prone and ageing veteran Paul George.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Philadelphia wasn’t even being ‘seriously considered’ as a free agency destination for James until they traded for the 2024 Finals MVP.
While this may be true, this is also very interesting, seeing the two have shared some beef together in years past.
When James made history – at this point, the real question many should be asking is what history HASN’T he made? – when his son Bronny was drafted by the Lakers to be the first father-son duo to take to the court together, and for the same team, Brown made his opinion very much known.
“Honestly, I don’t think Bronny is a pro,” Brown appeared to say when in attendance at a Lakers Summer League game back in 2024.
He later appeared to hint at nepotism being a factor, with him reportedly saying, “I don’t think so [being on the G-League team], I think because of his name, he’ll be on the Lakers.”
Almost two years on, though, James Sr still hadn’t forgotten, though he did admit that the relationship with him and Brown was ‘respectful.’
“Our relationship has been pretty respectful, besides the s*** he said about Bronny in Summer League,” James said back in February. “But other than that, we’ve been all right.
“I think he went on social media and said something about it – it’s all good. Bronny has a long way to go, but that’s another story.”
In order to help deliver Philadelphia their first NBA title since 1983, though, the pair’s relationship is going to be a little bit more than just ‘alright’.
With Embiid’s health having been a hindrance for almost the entirety of his 10-year career, the Sixers now have the ability to rely on their new ever-available veterans to complement the young backcourt of two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey and 20-year-old V.J. Edgecombe.
The main issue that 2019 NBA champion head coach Nick Nurse has on his hands is the ability to spread the ball evenly among his players in order to keep all of his superstars happy.
Last season with the Lakers, James’ usage rate – the measure of how often a team’s offensive plays end with that player on the court – was 27 percent.
Brown’s was 35 percent for the Celtics. When added to Maxey’s 29 percent, Edgecombe’s 19 percent, and Embiid’s 32 percent, that equates to 142 percent.
This is important because, aside from the glaringly obvious being that usage rates must add up to 100 percent, one or two of those players in the expected starting five are going to have to make some sacrifices and ultimately see their role reduced.
James may struggle to sacrifice to win a ring
Due to his age, James may take a slight step back like he did last season when Doncic assumed the majority of the ball-handling responsibilities on the Lakers.
James’ ability to adapt may also be beneficial to the entire team as he is very comfortable playing off the ball and knocking down shots when it does eventually fall to him.
But the issue that Nurse has on his hands is that if Brown isn’t the primary or secondary option, and his usage rate drops significantly, not only would the 76ers be paying supermax money for a corner-shooter for stretches of the game, but this could also cause his on-court rhythm to be disrupted.
This could even ultimately force team chemistry issues, which are already going to be a learning curve for all in their first year as a five-man unit.
Compare that to the reigning NBA champions, the New York Knicks, with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart having longstanding continuity together that stems back to their collegiate days at Villanova; it is really hard to determine at this point whether the Sixers – regardless of Embiid’s health – could make a run to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001.
It could therefore take a year, or maybe even two, to establish such chemistry within an organization that has long been desperate to win silverware, and by then James’ contract would have expired, with retirement his next destination.
The sheer firepower in the frontcourt of James, Brown and Embiid could also be a cause for concern, as an argument could be made that it could somewhat stunt the development of both Maxey and Edgecombe.
But, I’ll say it again – LeBron James is a Sixer, and perhaps that has been written in the stars from the very moment he announced his decision to test free agency.
This is because James made his ‘final decision’ on the 24th day of the month, and in the 81st NBA season, signing with the Sixers, which happened to be one of his heroes’ and closest basketball confidante’s, the late Kobe Bryant’s birthplace.
If anyone can find a solution to give Philly the best chance to deliver their first NBA championship in 44 years, though, arguably the greatest player of all time, perhaps only second in history to Michael Jordan, can.
But Father Time is very much closing in on him, and he can’t evade it forever.
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