From ‘Point LeBron’ to King James’ legacy, here’s what national experts are saying about the Sixers

The 76ers have had a successful offseason under new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey. They traded for Jaylen Brown earlier this month and recently signed all-time great LeBron James to a two-year, $8 million contract.

The team’s latest additions have made the Sixers early title contenders and turned them into the center of attention. But plenty of questions still surround the team. For instance, how will James fit into the lineup? Where does his legacy stand? And who’s under the most pressure entering the season?

Here’s everything they’re saying about James and the Sixers:

James is joining a team that has former league MVP Joel Embiid, rising star VJ Edgecombe, five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown, and two-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey, who has already been training with James this offseason.

When it comes to James’ role on the team, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Philly fans can expect him to occasionally run point.

“We’re going to be looking at some ‘Point LeBron James’ this upcoming season,” Charania said on NBA Today. “Tyrese Maxey last season played a lot on the ball at point guard … think of a better player that can set the table for Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe.”

During the 2019-20 season, James started regularly at point guard and averaged a career high 10.2 assists and led the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship.

The King Picks Philly

Purchase a front page reprint of The Philadelphia Inquirer from Saturday, July 25, 2026, featuring LeBron James following the news that he was joining the 76ers. Buy it here.

And, according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst, running point was part of the pitch to get James, a 22-time All-Star, to Philly.

“I will just say that LeBron has played point guard for every team he’s ever played,” Windhorst said on First Take. “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 has played point guard has varied, and that is what the 76ers are going to be looking at.

“Putting LeBron at point guard for set stretches of the game fits. Also, VJ Edgecombe is a combo guard. Maxey’s a combo guard, Anfernee Simons is a combo guard. LeBron has been great with good combo guards next to him throughout his career. Mo Williams, Kyrie Irving, Austin Reaves. This makes a ton of sense, and it’s a really good insight into how the Sixers are thinking.”

James joining the Sixers may have been the biggest surprise, compared to other teams in the running, like the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. And after joining such a stacked roster, James has been criticized of ring chasing — but NBA Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal defended James against the allegations.

“I don’t like y’all calling my man a ring chaser,” O’Neal said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “It’s funny to me the people that don’t have rings are saying, ‘Oh, he’s a ring chaser.’ No, he’s continuance chasing. He’s chasing the chance to continue to be great, to continue to add legacy to his book.

“You know and I know when this thing is over, it’s over. You can’t come back. Once you retire, once your body says, ‘I can’t go no more,’ it’s over. This guy feels he has two, three years left. Why not try to get another championship? I did it. I did it with Boston after I won three in a row and then won one in Miami. Hey, toward the end of my career, let me go play with Paul [Pierce] and [Kevin Garnett], be like the fourth guy. Rebound, set picks. See if I can win one. That’s what he’s doing.”

James already has accomplished so much throughout his career: he’s the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, a four-time MVP and NBA champion, a 22-time NBA All-Star, was the 2003-04 Rookie of the Year, and has won three Olympic gold medals.

But Charania believes he could be chasing another legacy.

“It’s no doubt LeBron is playing for a different legacy, and the legacy being the only player in NBA history to win a championship with four different teams,” Charania said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “And he’s playing on borrowed time. A player has never gone into the 23rd season, much less a 24th or 25th season. So it’s like he’s playing with spare change now.”

Entering the season, the Sixers have high expectations. The Sixers have the third-best odds, according to DraftKings, at +900, trailing the San Antonio Spurs (+270) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (+270).

But who will be under the most pressure: James or Embiid?

“The most pressure is on LeBron James,” Radio personality Evan Cohen said on First Take. “That’s what he signed up for. I think the least pressure is on Embiid. I think this is the lowest pressure he’s had on him all career. I don’t think there’s ever been a point in Joel Embiid’s career that he’s had less pressure. You know why? You know how many games he has to play in the regular season? Zero. If he doesn’t play a single game, it doesn’t matter. You know how many games you have to play in the postseason? Enough for them to win.”

But O’Neal seems to disagree.

“When I heard Philadelphia, I was like, ‘Oh, I wasn’t expecting that,’ but then when I sat down, I’m like, ‘Damn, him, Maxey, Edgecombe, Embiid, Jaylen Brown. Uh-oh, we could have something serious,’” O’Neal said. “And guess what? And guess whose shoulder it leans on? Joel Embiid. … Yeah, [he’s the one with the pressure]. Not LeBron. Not Jaylen Brown. Joel Embiid. Because you know why? Even if LeBron doesn’t win, LeBron is still one, two, or three in people’s eyes. You know that, I know that. So, Joel. Time for him to step up.”

The New York Knicks swept the Sixers in the second round of the NBA playoffs and ultimately beat the Spurs to claim the title. Entering the 2026-27 season, the Knicks and Sixers share the same odds to win the championship (+900) on DraftKings.

“Obviously, you have an MVP Joel Embiid, you have an up-and-coming superstar in Tyrese Maxey, and you have LeBron James, who still, on any given day, can be a top-10 player in the sport,” SiriusXM NBA host David Shepard said on the Freddie and Harry podcast. “And so because we have not had a repeat champion in the last eight years, we haven’t even had a repeat champion make it back to the NBA Finals this decade.

“It’s going to be the 76ers as the biggest threat to the New York Knicks, as opposed to the other way around. … LeBron James is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, and anywhere he goes, gentlemen, as you know, by Year 2, they’re NBA champions. That’s why the 76ers are the bigger threat to the Knicks than the other way around.”