Early returns on LeBron James, Joel Embiid and the 76ers: How Philly is finding success

Lo and behold, we are a little over a week into the NBA regular season and the Philadelphia 76ers are 4-1.

The offensive talent in Philadelphia speaks for itself, and the impressive part has been how the 76ers have worked together to enhance each other. LeBron James and Joel Embiid very much feel like the pendulum for the Sixers’ half-court offense. LeBron’s playmaking and passing ability continues to pop when the Sixers opt to play through him. Embiid can be a hub at the top of the key, the elbow or the post. VJ Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown are ready to go in transition, which opens up the Sixers’ ability to flow.

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The most important part is a) none of that has taken away from Tyrese Maxey’s growth and b) a lot of it has made what he does even more impactful.

Let’s break down their early success.

Sixers’ balancing act on offense

Maxey has become an offensive live wire and now he can be deployed in a lot of different ways; on-ball and transition are expected, but you’re unsure of how and when he’ll be used off-ball. Is it him as a screener with a matchup you don’t want to switch that gives him a crease to fly off a different screen? Is it him as a screener for LeBron James in a matchup you don’t want to switch, which gives him room to slip and attack in space? Is it wide pindowns or staggers which engage his speed in a completely different way? Maxey was always slippery to a large degree, but the moments where defenses can’t fully lock in or load up enhances his elusive nature.

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Offensively, there is going to be an ongoing battle all season to balance two things: the ability to use their talent as pressure points to force defenses to react vs. their willingness to get to ball movement and player movement to get defenses moving.

Make no mistake, this is not a “there is only one ball” comment, because it has already been proven there is enough room for all of the top-tier talent to get their looks. Especially when you consider the nights LeBron and Embiid may not be in the lineup and the fact the 76ers work to stagger their talent throughout lineups. The principles and sharing of the basketball…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/early-returns-on-lebron-james-joel-embiid-and-the-76ers-how-philly-is-finding-success-141459001.html

Author : Steve Jones

Publish date : 2026-10-30 14:14:00

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