LeBron Has Officially Turned Philly Into LePhilly

After almost a month of waiting and dilly-dallying, the decision has finally happened. We now know where LeBron James will be playing the twilight years of his career. He will finish his career in the City of Brotherly Love, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers after signing a 2-year $8 million deal with them. Shocking, I know. Many thought he would either play for Miami, Cleveland, or Golden State, while every other team felt like a pipe dream or an unrealistic thing, but LeBron chose the team that has three All-NBA players, a former MVP, a top 5 pick who’s coming off a rookie season where he made the All-Rookie first team, and a newly improved bench. LeBron chose the team with the most talent and the best chance of winning a championship this season, and many thought he would choose familiarity and fulfilling fantasies over the chance to win at the highest level. But he didn't, and now LeBron for Philly will hopefully be the key to unlocking the door that has kept them from winning at the highest levels, even at 41. 

Yes, I just said that, which might sound crazy to a lot of people, but the way he played in these past playoffs and the way he closed the regular season all still make me believe he can be a key cog for a championship team. Not the cog as he has been for most of his career, but one of the pillars and cogs. LeBron, at this stage of his career, is someone who thrives as a super connector and occasional star when the game needs him to be. That’s perfect for where the 76ers roster stands after what has been an amazing offseason for them. They already have three All-NBA-level creators for LeBron to circle around and be the glue to, which sounds awesome for him and how he’ll have to fit with this roster. He has to be the connector for this team to thrive, and he not only proved last season that he can thrive as a connector but also be the league's best connector. Last season, LeBron averaged the least amount of touches per game (70.0), time of possession (3.8 minutes), and average seconds per touch (3.3) of his career. He also had a usage rate of 26.6%, which was the lowest of his career. LeBron proved last season that he’s capable of taking a backseat and thriving as a connector for a team, and he will most certainly do so again in Philly. 

Philly needed a connector like this on their team because, while Dean Wade is a good and capable starting four, he’s obviously not LeBron and has clear limitations as a decision-maker, ball-handler, and driver. LeBron now gives them someone who can maintain advantages at a high level, another initiator they can play through, a smart connective playmaker who can make all kinds of coverages pay as a screener and spot-up player, an elite second-side initiator and mismatch hunter, and an elite transition creator who gives them another player who can lead the break and initiate early offense. I wanna dive into all of those things individually because they are all important and will really help this 76ers team, starting with the connective playmaking. Maxey, Brown, and Joel are all amazing with the ball and great at creating advantages. So defenses will be put into rotation a lot, and all three will derive aggressive coverages from opposing defenses. Now insert LeBron’s connective playmaking next to those three, and defenses are going to have to be in rotation much longer than they expect, execute rotations much sharper, and think twice about tilting their defense toward one of those three or even doubling one of them because whether LeBron is one pass away, just spotting up, or is even screening for them he can make those coverages pay with relative ease and cause serious anxieties for opponents when they want to send multiple bodies toward Philly’s top creators. 

LeBron is so good at making quick reads off the catch and getting the ball to where it needs to go. That will help create more shots off the catch for Philly’s offense and its stars by allowing them to attack closeouts more and be weaponized as cutters more often. LeBron will make some very useful extra passes and nifty quick reads off the catch, helping inject more open shots for Philadelphia and ensuring advantages dont end without their permission. LeBron is such a good connective playmaker, and that will thrive next to all of these stars on this team when he’s spotting up around the floor. 

It will also show when he’s screening for someone. Teams, of course, are going to send some doubles toward Brown and Maxey, and the perfect counter to those doubles will be LeBron screening for either one of them. He will be the perfect outlet for those two when he’s short rolling after either one is doubled because he is an elite short roll playmaker who will be grinning like the Grinch when he sees he has a four-on-three advantage over the opposing defense after getting the ball on a short roll. He will be able to fire the ball to a cutting Jaylen Brown or VJ, find Joel for some potential entertaining high-low sequences when he’s near the basket, or find Jaylen, VJ, Maxey, or a random 76er for an open three off the catch. 

LeBron will also be able to find those guys when he’s attacking downhill off the catch, which will happen a lot when he’s spotting up. It’s so easy to imagine LeBron getting a pass from Maxey while spotting up on the weak side, then attacking the closeout he’s getting with a forceful drive, then kicking it to someone open on the weak side for an easy three. LeBron’s downhill playmaking will shine in a supporting role when he’s attacking closeouts and already rotating defenses with drives, and not just because of the talent he’s playing with, but also because he is such a good downhill playmaker who will often already get the opportunity to pick apart rotating defenses with his often brilliant playmaking abilities when he’s driving to the basket. Off those same drives, LeBron will also get the opportunity to get a good amount of easy points attacking downhill against an already scrambled defense. 

On top of the things he brings as a connector, he is still more than capable of being the primary initiator and creator for his team's offense when it’s needed, like it was during these past playoffs in the first round against the Rockets. In that series, he picked apart the Rockets' defense with the ball both as a scorer and playmaker because the Rockets' defenders shockingly couldn't stay in front of him, and he made their defense pay every time whenever they presented him with a passing window to zip a pass through, no matter how big that opening was. With the 76ers, even though he’ll be surrounded by multiple elite creators in their prime will be able to be an awesome primary initiator when the games call for it, when one of them is out of the lineup, and when he’s leading bench units. LeBron can still lead a team as a scorer and playmaker, and change games with his ability to score on the ball primarily when he’s attacking downhill. LeBron is going to make a strength even stronger for the Sixers. Having drivers like Jaylen, VJ, and Maxey alongside LeBron will make it easy for the 76ers' offense to get teams into rotation and put immense pressure on the rim. Last season, Philly ranked 25th in drives per game (43.7). When they added Jaylen, I thought he would really help their drive and kick abilities and allow them to put more pressure on the rim. Now, with him and LeBron, the 76ers should drastically improve as a driving team. That will add to the many complexities opposing teams will face when defending this team now, as well as another lead initiator they can run offense through, on top of the lineup flexibility he will provide. 

The lineup versatility with LeBron will be very beneficial in this 76ers context, not only because of the staggering lineups but also because there are also times when they can run LeBron as a small-ball five surrounded by a ton of shooting and athleticism. They can also have lineups with LeBron at the three in some jumbo lineups with either two bigs or Dean Wade at the four, and Brown at the two. Those lineups won't be super, but they will be a servaciable option thanks to LeBron's versatility and ability to thrive in almost any role. That will give the 76ers even more optionality and ways to attack a team, and so will LeBron’s abilities in the post. LeBron is not going to run offense for the Sixers just as a pick-and-roll ball handler on the perimeter, but also as a post hub. Having LeBron parked on the block while everyone is moving and having actions run off his post-ups will be very beneficial to the 76ers' offense. Post-splits, 45 cuts, actions on the weak side, flare screens on the strong side, or baseline cuts from the weak side should all be utilized and seen when LeBron is posting up for the Sixers. 

All of the stuff they run for Joel on the block, they will be able to do the same for LeBron, and while he won't score like Embiid on the block, he will make more high-level passes and find teammates better while operating with his back to the basket. Joel isnt the playmaker that LeBron is out of post-ups, but LeBron as a cutter will help Joel be better as a post-hub and post playmaker because he will create so many easy opportunities for Joel to find for easy points. The 76ers can also run a lot of those same actions and concepts even when LeBron is operating as a hub on the elbows. In these past playoffs, LeBron was excellent as a hub on the elbows against the Rockets, and having Maxey run off off-ball actions and screens while LeBron is being used as either a post or elbow hub will be one of the many nightmares opposing defenses will have to deal with now. LeBron, as an initiator period in all scenarios will help Maxey get more open looks off the catch and be used more as an off-ball scorer. Maxey is one of the best movement shooters in the league, and LeBron will help Maxey get more open looks off movement, and the 76ers run him off of more off-ball actions. 

Even with all the pluses LeBron brings to the 76ers' offense, he also raises questions and potential negatives. This fit isnt as snug, and one of the major reasons why is Joel Embiid. His presence complicates things for the 76ers because, as we saw last season, Joel can disrupt your style of play. When Maxey and VJ wanted to play with a ton of pace and have a second home in transition, Joel made sure that when he was on the floor, they would live more in the halfcourt and play at a pace that is much more comfortable to him. Joel also, of course, demands a lot of touches and to be at the top of your mind when running offense. With both LeBron and Jaylen Brown, Joel will have to make many sacrifices to help this team flow and avoid complications. For example, Joel will need to swap a good amount of his short rolls to the free throw line with straight pops to the three-point line, so he won't be in the way of someone like Jaylen, who loves to operate in the mid-range and so he can allow this offense to have more moments to play in five out spacing alignments which will really help drivers like Jaylen and LeBron. Now you can't and shouldn't avoid Joel and turn him into strictly a screen and roll/pop big because he’s still such a good mid-range shooter and post scorer that it would be near-malpractice to not run some offense through him. Also, he still creates so many problems for defenses and bends them as no one else in the league can. 

Having Joel’s possessions where he’s initiating and being the hub of the offense, be more of an additive than a necessity, could really help Philadelphia and likely help them build this offense around Maxey and Brown. Those two are the players they should build this offense around and have be the primary ball handlers and creators for them, while LeBron and Joel are people who find their offense within the flow and occasionally run the offense when it’s required for them to. One of the easiest things the Sixers can do is incorporate a lot of three-man actions into their offense. Double drags, zoom actions, Spain pick and rolls, Horns actions, or off-ball actions where the ball is somewhere else while another action is being run off of it. Being a heavy drive-and-kick team will also be something they’ll likely need to do. This team, with the drivers they have and the ease with which most of their players can draw two to the ball, can really help them become an elite drive-and-kick team. Running some simple actions so they can get an advantage or two on the ball, so they can drop teams into their drive, and kick blender will be a joy to watch, and even more so if they have movement off the ball while those drives are happening. That just sounds golden for a team with LeBron James on it. 

The main point is that they can not be a team that’s just spread pick-and-roll with Maxey and Joel while everyone watches. That will likely make this team fail before they even reach the playoffs. Of course, mixing in that action will be very useful, but having it be a branch to an offense where the stump is an offensive system with a lot of movement, three-man actions, and creative ways to get into the drive and kick blenders that opponents dread being in will be a terrific way for this roster to succeed and fit seamlessly. Apart of that stump, there should also be a lot of pace. Maxey, Brown, VJ, and LeBron are all elite transition players, and giving them the chance to get out and run will really help this team avoid potential fit concerns from creeping up on them and to get some easy points at an elite level. Usually, with LeBron-led teams, they are slow ones that love to get a team's weakness into their scoops and constantly fire at it until they have to find another one. 

Last season with the Lakers, we saw flashes of LeBron being more willing to play at a faster pace while being 40-plus. Last season, from the start of the season through March 1st, the Lakers ranked 27th in the league in percent of plays in the halfcourt (80.9%). From March 1st onward, they ranked 20th (79.3%). Plus, there have also been some high-paced LeBron teams in the past, so it can be done with him. LeBron is so smart that he can operate in both a slow-paced and a fast-paced system, but playing at a faster pace with this 76ers roster will really help this team gel more on the offensive end. Someone in particular who it would really help is Jaylen Brown. 

Along with playing at a faster pace, something else that would really help iron out some of the wrinkles that could potentially arise with Jaylen Brown on this roster is making sure he’s used in the majority of their actions because he isnt the best spot-up player due to his so-so shooting from three, at times lack of activity off the ball, and not elite decision-making abilities off the catch. Brown’s struggles as a spot-up player and overall operator off the catch were among the factors that led to his departure from Boston. He, of course, isn't a stranger to being in a more secondary or tertiary creation role, but Philly needs to make sure he’s not pushed too far down the offensive usage totem pole with the addition of LeBron, so his issues off the catch won't appear as much. Brown is someone who can let advantages die more quickly than they should with his tendency to catch and hold the ball. He is someone who can just stand and watch a lot more than you would like when he doesn't have the ball, and for the past five seasons combined, he’s shot 35.2% off the catch from three in the regular season and playoffs combined. 

Defenses are going to use Brown to send more doubles and gap help against the others on Philly, so making sure Brown’s natural deficiencies dont cause too much harm to the flow of the 76ers offense will be key in not only making sure LeBron fits well with this roster but also to make sure Jaylen does as well. Defenses might also send defenders off of LeBron if his shot is what it was last season. He shot 29.7% on catch-and-shoot three-pointers last season (regular season and playoffs combined), which is not good for the Sixers' offense. If he continues to be this negative as a three-point shooter off the catch, it will be more difficult to have him spotted up off the ball along the three-point line. Defenders will sag off him more, and coaches will be more inclined to have his defender in the gaps and double-team the ball more, which doesn't sound good for Brown, Maxey, or VJ’s drives, and it will be harder for this team to produce a lot of points off the catch. Now, since Lebron is such a good cutter and screener, it will minimize some of those issues if he continues to be a poor three-point shooter off the catch. Also, he shot 44.3% on catch-and-shoot three pointers the prior two seasons combined before this last one (regular season and playoffs combined). It is more than plausible that LeBron returns to what he was as a three-point shooter before last season happened, and that these concerns weren't worth mentioning. LeBron becoming a good three-point shooter off the catch could really help Jaylen Brown fit well with this roster and make him even more potent as a driver. 

One of the clear areas Brown will help LeBron through is on the defensive end, thanks to his switchability, comfort defending difficult matchups, and, most importantly, defending wings and guards. LeBron isn’t as switchable as he used to be. He’s best suited to defending forwards and lower usage bigs from time to time, which are the players he’ll exactly be defending with the Sixers now. LeBron also makes the most impact as a defender when he’s in help defense, where he can cause chaos and provide major stability as an off-ball defender. Lebron isnt a very consistent or high effort, off-ball defender, but when he’s fully engaged and locked in, he’s someone who can really lead a defense when playing off of the ball and make all kinds of plays to help his team's defense when roaming around. When he’s engaged, he can also defend on the ball at a high level in a pinch when teams try to attack him, but the 76ers won't need LeBron to be this team's defensive stopper. 

Jaylen can be this team’s defensive stopper, like he’s proven many times before with Boston. VJ could also be that for the Sixers because of the things he showed defensively during his rookie season when defending on the perimeter and the tools he has. If he doesn't work or isn't consistent enough, another option Philly has is Dean Wade, who could be this off the bench for them or as a starter when they really need him. Wade is the kind of wing defender who’s switchable, has plus length, and is more than capable of defending tough defensive assignments well for long stretches. The Sixers have options as on-ball defenders to make sure LeBron isn't stretched too thin and doesn't have to consistently defend top offensive players night in and night out. 

Defensively, it still won't be perfect for the 76ers. They will still have to keep finding creative ways to hide and cover for Maxey’s weaknesses as an on-ball defender due to his size, and to make their defense less susceptible to being scored on when teams attack Joel by bringing him into space or away from the basket. When Joel is near the basket, he will give them an elite rim protector who can nullify many aspects of an opposing team's offense. When Joel was on the floor last season, opponents shot 4.0% worse at the rim, and opponents shot 4.1% worse when Joel was contesting their shots at the rim. Joel, when near the basket, can still be a very devastating and impactful defender, which is great for someone like LeBron who can gamble more and be unleashed a little more as an off-ball defender. 

On the flip side, in the Knicks series, they made Joel defend 99 ball screens, and the Knicks scored 1.3 points per possession (124 total points). Joel has been exposed over the past couple of seasons as someone who struggles to cover a lot of ground and to defend in space when defending a pick-and-roll or is forced to switch onto the perimeter. Joel is best suited as a defender when he’s around the basket, and when he’s dragged out of there, then the alarm goes off because that is when the Sixers defense becomes very easy to score on and get advantages on. Now, having LeBron and one of Brown or Edgecombe on the backline behind Joel should help when teams attack Joel in pick-and-roll, given their collective size and ability to be solid secondary rim protectors. 

LeBron and Jaylen both have issues as off-ball defenders (LeBron more because of effort than ability), but they can still give things up and miss rotations, which might make it harder for them to cover for Joel when he’s attacked. The major point is that the Sixers defense will likely be more of an issue for them than their offense, but like their offense, they will need to iron out a lot of kinks and find what works for them to at least be an average defense. Likely their ceiling as a defense is between 10-15, while their floor is as one of the 10 worst defenses in the league. 

Staggering all of these guys will be big in making sure the fit doesn't cause too much damage to their team on both ends of the floor. Having lineups with two of LeBron, Joel, Maxey, and Brown on the floor will be big in helping this team avoid potential hiccups, maximize the talent on the roster in all the ways they want, give them some more plus defenders on the court at the same time, and give opponents different looks on both ends of the floor. It will also be big in making sure this team always has elite talent on the floor and doesn't have to live in a world where Maxey and VJ are playing 36-plus minutes every game. 

In order to stagger, though, you have to have good depth in order for it to be worth it. Philly, luckily, has really improved their depth this offseason by signing Dean Wade, KCP, Anfernee Simmons, and Ariel Hukporti. They also drafted LaBaron Philon with their first-round pick and still have guys like Justin Edwards, Aden Bona, and Dominick Barlow. That’s not an elite collection of depth pieces, but servable and, in Philon and Wade’s cases, good. Philon should be a servaciable backup point guard for the Sixers immediately because of his ability to score one-on-one, be a good pick-and-roll creator, be a good playmaker as a driver and table setter for his team's offense. Dean Wade, meanwhile, will be a good wing/forward who can take on tough defensive assignments on the ball like we already mentioned, can make open shots from three, is a solid cutter and screener, and isnt someone who turns the ball over. 

Both will help those staggered lineups function better, and so will Bona, Edwards, and Simmons. KCP, whom they just recently signed after the Grizzlies bought him out, could be an elite role player for this team if he returns to what he was as an elite on-ball defender and good three-point shooter. Lately, though, he hasn't been and has struggled to get on the floor due to his lacking three point shot and diminished defensive capabilities. If KCP returns to what he looked like in Denver and Los Angeles and Bona and Edwards continue to improve, then the Philly bench should not be a negative like it was last season. 

It especially won't be a problem if the 76ers can always have at least two of LeBron, Joel, Tyrese, Jaylen, and VJ on the court. Just naming those five guys shows how incredible a talent bet this is for the Sixers. The 76ers, now with LeBron, are among the most talented teams in the NBA. Of course, that can be very scary. We have seen experiments like this fail in the NBA in the past, such as when the Suns paired Bradley Beal with Durant and Booker, or when the Bucks traded for Dame to pair him with Giannis and Middleton. There are other examples as well, but this is different to me than those past examples because, for starters, LeBron is one of the smartest players to have played in this league. He will find a way to fit into this roster context and give it a good enough baseline of connection. Fit will be the biggest hurdle this team needs to jump over in order to be a true contender for the title this upcoming season. 

This signing is a huge win for the 76ers. Getting one of the league's best players of all time on your roster, who’s still more than capable of still being one of the 25 best players in the league next to this already loaded starting five, is awesome. Philly, after their second-round exit to the Knicks, looked like they were destined for a dim and gloomy future. The light that Maxey and VJ gave them couldn’t even be enough to dispel the gloom surrounding this franchise. Now, thanks to one offseason, this team has never had this much hope in a long, long time. Now, this team, of course, is not guaranteed to win a title or even make the Finals. I’ll dive deeper into this in a separate article, but the Eastern Conference is loaded now, full of capable teams that can make the Finals. It will be a challenge for this team to make the Finals, which is why this team will need to find an identity that is very complementary for everyone on the roster and one that isnt based on your turn, my turn basketball, and just winning on sheer talent. If they simply rely on their talent and build an identity based on simplicity that’s uncreative, the 76ers will crash and burn and be a failed experiment. 

And this team doesn't have to be overly complicated, running the world's most complex and sophisticated plays; it just has to have a system that maximizes the talent on both sides and doesn't make it easy for opposing teams to defend or score against. A system that’s built on egalitarianism with some of the best talent in the league, opposed to just a system that’s based on satisfying egos and feelings. I think this team can build a strong system that makes them a great team and is built on egalitarian principles, because they have the talent to do so and thrive on those principles. It will be a challenge for the 76ers, but 10 times out of 10, when LeBron is available, you go get him on your team. Now, finally, after me standing around with a smile with the sticky note saying what’s the verdict to LeBron like Sarah, he responded to everyone saying it’s time to be the fresh prince of Philly and bring them their first championship since 1983.