LeBron = 76ERS POINT GUARD ⁉️ How Philly's lineup will be constructed next season ✍️ | First Take

LeBron James held the NBA's world's attention the entire summer, and don't expect that to change as the fall approaches, with front office sports reporting that James and the Sixers are expected to get the maximum 34 -game national game telecast and streams during the 2026 -27 NBA season.And we may see LeBron playing a different role than usual, according to our Shams Charania.

The Sixers expect LeBron James to play a good amount of time at the point guard position on offense, initiating the offense for Nick Nurse.You think about setting up Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brown, Joel Embiid and B .J.Edgecomb.Who better to have set the table than LeBron James, especially for a guy like Tyrese Maxey, who's shown prowess over the years, working off the ball as a scorer.We know he did that alongside James Harden as well.

And you think about the one season in the NBA that LeBron James played at the the point guard position.He did that and he led th the Lakers won the champi we never saw it again, bu be looking at a good amo Brian Windhorst joining us now.

And Wendy, if you go to LeBron's player profile page on ESPN .com, next to his name, it says Forward.We've seen him play the five.We've seen him play all across all five positions.But is playing point guard the right way for the Sixers to utilize him in the 2026 -27 season?

Absolutely.And, you know, Shams did good reporting here, as usual.I will just say that LeBron has played point guard for every team he's ever played.He may not have been the starting point guard.He's played point guard on his teams since he was 12 years old.The amount of time he's played point guard has varied, and that is what the 76ers are going to be looking at.

And look, this is part of their pitch.This was part of what Nick Nurse was pitching to LeBron.he talked to him before he made his decision.And you know, why would the Sixers do that?Why would the Sixers appeal this way to him other than the fact that it fits their roster?It's because last year, LeBron played as little point guard as he ever has, or at least in many years, because Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves were the primary ball handlers.

He played off the ball more last year than he ever had in his career, at least for a full season.And so this would be getting back to the type of play he likes to play.Now, Tyrese Maxey will be their starting point guard, and Tyrese Maxey will have the ball in his hands a lot.But if you break down the numbers, Maxey, like Sham said, is an excellent catch and shoot three -point shooter, shot over 40%.on catch -and -shoot three -pointers last year.If you're a 6 '7 wing and you shoot 40 % on catch -and -shoot three -point shooters, you'll be making huge money.

That's a great number on catch -and -shoot.And also, Maxie has been great at coming off of screens, off the ball, like as a cutter.That's what Dwayne Wade did with LeBron when he was in Miami.You know, that year that he won the Assist title in 2020, it's actually a fascinating LeBron stat.It was 12 years after he won the scoring title.He won the scoring title and 12 years later won the assist title.

And, you know, Jalen Brown is an elite mid -range shooter, one of the best mid -range shooters in the league.They need to set him up off of the ball to get mid -range shots that fits putting LeBron at point guard for set stretches of the game's fit.Also, VJ Edgecombe is a combo guard.Maxie's a combo guard.Anthony Simons is a combo guard.LeBron has been great with good combo guards next to him throughout his career.

Mo Williams, Kyrie Irving, Austin Reeves.This makes a ton of sense, and it's a really good insight into how the Sixers are thinking.

Totally agree.And I think that note that Shams reported yesterday was really important.And you could absolutely go to the place of fact, like Wendy pointed out.LeBron has been a point guard or a point forward, however you want to look at it, his entire life.But the reason that I thought it was really important is I think we as fans and media got enamored with the Sixers starting lineup.And we looked at it and said, my God, the two guards and Maxie and Edgecombe and these two wings and Brown and James.

And then of course the big seven foot center and Joel Embiid.They have almost kind of ish like an old school one, two, three, four, five starting lineup.Well, that's not what necessarily works in the NBA today.Role definition is vital, even when you have goat -type players in LeBron James and all -star players in Jalen Brown and Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.What that told me yesterday, with that note that Shams reported is that they are going to stagger many of these guys and guys like Dean Wade, who's not necessarily a household name, but does come over with Mike Gansey, their president of basketball operations, general manager, along with Ramir Nelson from Cleveland.that he will have a role because not all of those quote -unquote starting five guys will be on the floor at the same time that they will utilize whether it's Anthony Simons off the bench or more recently Contavious Caldwell Pope and they will say we have five guys that at different points in their life and careers either have been or will be all -star caliber players and normally all -star teams don't work together in terms of winning championships that little tiny note to emphasize LeBron is going to do what he does best, which is run an offense is important because it means they are valuing the role players and not just their starting lineup and they will have stars in their roles in Philadelphia this year.

Yeah, I just want to say Evan makes good points.I just want to say, and I know this is not the fun thing to talk about less than a week after LeBron signed and, you know, in July 28th or whatever, but this Sixers team is large.I'm not, I have no worries about the offense.They may take a while to get aligned.The Sixers are a defensive struggle team.You know why I know that?

Their first order of business this offseason, before they got Jalen Brown before they knew they could get LeBron James.They went out, as Evan mentioned, and signed Dean Wade.Now, you say Dean Wade, like, why are you talking about Dean Wade on first take when LeBron's contract is freshly signed?The reason they signed Dean Wade for 40 million bucks was because they needed someone to defend.This team was not acceptable defensively last year.They were in the bottom half of the league in defense during the regular season, and I know that they won that seven -game series with the Celtics, but the Knicks steamrolled them on that end of the court.

They abused Joel Embiid when they attacked him.And I will tell you that of the 16 teams that made the playoffs last year, the Sixers ranked 14th in defensive efficiency.The Sixers' primary issue coming into this season, beyond the health of Embiid, was how do we get stops?And, you know, when you're asking LeBron to start at power forward, because you can say whatever you want on offense, on defense, he will be defending forwards and sometimes even centers.That is where Nick Nurse and the Sixers are going to have to roll their sleeves up.That is what we're going to end up talking about after we get past the glitz and glamour of the opening of the season.

When we get into the guts about whether this team can win four playoff rounds, it's going to be about getting stops.And so that's going to be something that they're looking at very closely as well.

You both said something on yesterday's first take that the lineup that we have right now, the starting five, VJ Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brown, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, that this is not the group that's going to be playing 82 games together.They're going to use this lineup in spurts.So I think about Joel Embiid, Wendy, and how much he's going to play next year.They want him healthy for the playoffs.They're going to prioritize him and being healthy in the regular season.We saw LeBron play quite a bit of five at the center position in LA last year.

If Embiid's not playing, is that a role that you could feasibly see LeBron playing at points?

Not long term, he said.I mean, I don't want to speak for him.I don't want to get in his head, but historically he does.He hates to playing the five.He'll do whatever he has to do for a team, but you know, they, they do have some big men on the roster.A Dem Bona is a, you know, when you put them, when you put them with four potential all -stars, a Dem Bona will look good as your, as your center, if you need them.

But Dean Wade can play five.Now he's not going to, guard all the fives in the league.But one of the reasons why they went out and signed Dean Wade is because he can defend threes, fours, and fives.So again, when you get into the guts of whether the Sixers are going to be able to win on a high level, this is what you're getting into the guts for, because Embiid gets attacked defensively.Now, Joel Embiid is one of the most talented offensive players I've ever seen in my life.When he is healthy, what he can do with the basketball is jaw -dropping, okay?

There's no concern about him scoring, but you have to protect him defensively.That's been a challenge for the Sixers throughout his career, and, you know, part of the ways you do that is by, you know, being very efficient offensively, but this team will have its work cut out for it when they don't have the ball.It's not fun.It's not something we want to show highlights of, but that is the reality.

And, Courtney, this is exactly why Reckless speculation from people like me who live on the trade machine starts until Shams or Wendy report something about an MB trade.I'm not taking it seriously.But what you just said is why I someone who lives on the trade machine goes to the place of well.Could they pay another team off to take on Joel Embiid?And could Milwaukee, Dallas, Washington, one of these teams that you could just make the math work and more importantly, make the defense work?Does it ever become a conversation?

You're not trading LeBron, obviously.They're not going to trade Jalen Brown, I don't think.Vijay Edgecombe and Tyrese Massey are the cornerstones of the franchise.If they have championship or bust type mentality and theyas Wendy just said, becomes the issue, how do you help solve that?You would have to pay another team by way of pick to take on Embiid, but there are trades, reckless speculation, that could happen with Joel Embiid to improve your defense.

They just traded a whole bunch of draft assets to get Jalen Brown and Joel Embiid's, you know, owed $180 million over the next three years.The pathway for them is to get a great Joel Embiid and get him healthy.And you may need Joel Embiid to go head -to -head with Victor Wenbinyama in a final series.