Philadelphia 76ersPhiladelphia must get its playmakers playing together
Brown and James join Maxey, Embiid and Edgecombe. Nick Nurse must share out the creation duties and build an interior rotation without Hukporti.
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Philadelphia have chosen to stockpile playmaking options. Jaylen Brown and LeBron James join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe for the 2026–2027 season. Nick Nurse has a squad overflowing with talent, but he must now decide how his players will share the offensive load and who will steady the team when the combinations change. Defence and the minutes without Embiid will matter as much as the names on the billboard.
Starting point: 45 wins and a second-round run
The Sixers finished the 2025–2026 regular season with 45 wins, 37 defeats and the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Their run ended in the conference semi-finals. That base remains useful for understanding the new roster, but the summer has shifted responsibilities enough that this cannot be treated as a simple continuation of last season.
Philadelphia scored 115.9 points and conceded 116.1 per game in the regular season. The margin was slightly negative despite a winning record. Adding two celebrated creators does not on its own settle the team's balance. Nurse will have to link the work on the ball handler, the help defence near the rim and the defensive rebounding, while keeping enough movement in the offence.
per game · 2025–26
per game · 2025–26
The moves: Brown and James change who does what
Brown arrives from Boston in a trade that sends Paul George to the Celtics. James also joins Philadelphia. One can attack a defence that is already scrambled or take a possession on himself; the other brings a reading of the game that can coordinate the team's initiatives. Placing them alongside Maxey and Embiid is not just a matter of adding points: someone has to decide who starts the action and how the others stay involved.
The recruitment also reaches the bench. Anfernee Simons brings perimeter scoring, Dean Wade a forward-big profile, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a seasoned option in the backcourt and Ariel Hukporti a presence at centre. Labaron Philon Jr., taken 22nd in the 2026 draft, joins as a young point guard to develop. Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert arrive on two-way contracts, which allow them to shuttle between the NBA and the G League.
The plan for the frontcourt has already changed, however: Hukporti tore his right Achilles tendon in the preseason. The operation was confirmed in early October. He remains on the roster, but cannot be presented as an available option in the rotation at the start of the season. No return date is given here.
- →Jaylen BrownTrade with Boston
- →LeBron JamesArrival in Philadelphia
- →Anfernee SimonsNew perimeter option
- →Dean WadeForward-centre
- →Kentavious Caldwell-PopeExperience on the perimeter
- →Ariel HukportiCentre signed, currently unavailable
- →Labaron Philon Jr.22nd pick in the 2026 draft
- ←Paul George · Boston Celtics
- ←Duke Miles and Saint Thomas · waived on 15 October
Maxey, Embiid and the two new leaders
Joel Embiid
Maxey remains a source of acceleration and creation. With Brown and James, he can also receive the ball after a team-mate has drawn help, instead of constantly having to create the first opening himself. The value of this split will be measured by the quality of the shots it produces: chances built together, rather than a succession of isolation plays.
Embiid comes off a regular season of 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, but limited to 38 appearances. His influence at centre remains central; his availability means several configurations must be planned. James can act as a passing hub, Brown can take some of the attacking duties facing the basket, and Edgecombe can continue to progress after his first NBA season. The young guard needs to keep chances to defend, run and attack space, even surrounded by more experienced players.
The question of sharing is a concrete one: in the 2026 playoffs, Brown and Embiid each had a usage rate of 32.5%, among players who logged at least a hundred minutes. That statistic estimates the share of team possessions a player finishes while he is on the floor. It describes their former responsibilities, with two different teams, and does not predict what they will do together.
Per-game averages in the 2025–26 regular season. The number of games describes that season and does not predict the next.
Two former high-usage roles
Usage rate during the 2026 playoffs, players with at least 100 minutes. Responsibilities with two separate teams; no projection for 2026–27.
The projected starting five and the work of the reserves
Our season projection brings together Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, James and Embiid. It remains subject to adjustment depending on who is available and is not an announcement of the opening-night starting five. Maxey could initiate at high speed, James run certain sequences, Brown attack mismatches and Embiid draw the defence near the basket or at mid-range. Edgecombe would then have more situations to read without having to carry the creation alone.
Simons can provide scoring spells and work off the ball alongside a creator. Over the six years before this season, he made 42.7% of his three-pointers taken directly off a catch: a marker for one specific type of shot, not his overall shooting. Wade can complete big lineups or play closer to the rim in a more mobile team. Adem Bona takes on particular importance among the centre options in Hukporti's absence. Dominick Barlow, subject to his return, and Jabari Walker also make smaller combinations conceivable, with trade-offs to watch on the boards.
Caldwell-Pope and Justin Edwards can fill out the wings, depending on defensive assignments and the needs of the moment. Philon will have to carve out a place in an already crowded perimeter line. Each player's role will need to become clearer as the chosen combinations take shape. The minutes without Embiid will above all demand collective rim protection and a guard against every change of five upending the bearings of the whole team.
Possible bench options
- Anfernee Simons
- Dean Wade
- Adem Bona
- Dominick Barlow
- Jabari Walker
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Justin Edwards
- Labaron Philon Jr.
Proposed editorial split, not a guaranteed hierarchy. Hukporti unavailable; other availability to be monitored.
Simons: a catch-and-shoot resource
42.7% on three-point shots taken directly off the catch over the six years before 2026–2027. Not overall three-point shooting, nor a single-season statistic.
The roster as of 17 October 2026, by role
This end-of-camp snapshot counts 21 players: the sixteen shown on the club's page and five more on the NBA roster. It includes development contracts and is not a final opening-night list. Love and Rupert are on two-way deals. Jameer Nelson Jr., Dillon Jones, Tacko Fall, Taye Fields and Cris Carroll belong to the end-of-camp group; no place in the rotation is assigned to them here.
21 players: 19 profiles and 2 other end-of-camp players
| Player | Status | Pts | Reb | Ast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point guards and guards | ||||
| Tyrese Maxey | – | – | – | |
| VJ Edgecombe | – | – | – | |
| Anfernee Simons | – | – | – | |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | – | – | – | |
| Labaron Philon Jr. | – | – | – | |
| Caleb Love | Two-way | – | – | – |
| Jameer Nelson Jr. | End of camp | – | – | – |
| Forwards and versatile players | ||||
| Jaylen Brown | – | – | – | |
| LeBron James | – | – | – | |
| Justin Edwards | – | – | – | |
| Rayan Rupert | Two-way | – | – | – |
| Dominick Barlow | – | – | – | |
| Jabari Walker | – | – | – | |
| Dean Wade | – | – | – | |
| Dillon Jones | End of camp | – | – | – |
| Bigs | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 26.9 | 7.7 | 3.9 | |
| Adem Bona | – | – | – | |
| Ariel Hukporti | Unavailable | – | – | – |
| Tacko Fall | End of camp | – | – | – |
Grouped by role, versatile profiles. Embiid's stats: 2025–26 regular season. "–" = value not included here. Being in the squad does not mean availability or a guaranteed place in the rotation.
Positions are grouped by possible roles: Bona is therefore listed with the bigs, even though his official profile classes him as a forward. The roles of the two latest arrivals are not specified in the official table consulted. Duke Miles and Saint Thomas, waived on 15 October, are excluded. Hukporti remains a member of the roster despite his unavailability; Barlow and Fall also had physical problems in the preseason, and this list does not confirm their fitness for opening night.
Strengths and risks: variety is not enough without continuity
The group's first strength is that it can create an advantage in several ways. A defence that shuts down Maxey's game still has to deal with Brown, James and Embiid. The reserves also offer different profiles. That diversity can ease adaptation to a playoff series, provided the players build common habits.
The main risk is an offence that waits its turn, followed by a defence that suffers from too-frequent changes of combination. The availability of the key players and the depth at centre are two very concrete limits. The volume of talent allows the team to aim high, but guarantees neither consistent rim protection nor well-organised finishes to games.
The assets
- Several players capable of creating an advantage.
- Attacking options with and without the ball.
- Different bench profiles.
Issues to resolve
- The continuity of combinations.
- Minutes without Embiid and rim protection.
- Availability and the sharing of responsibilities.
The ambition: building a title contender
With these arrivals, aiming for the title is a coherent ambition. It demands more, however, than a good start or a few individual performances. The team will have to accumulate minutes together, define responsibilities and build answers for when one of the first options is unavailable.
Progress will be visible if Maxey can receive the ball in better conditions, if Brown and Embiid find shots set up by a team-mate, and if the second unit keeps an identifiable defensive plan. The season must allow Nurse to choose the combinations that will serve in the spring, without presenting their success as a given.
The title ambition requires turning this wealth of options into shared habits.
Seventh in the East in the 2025–26 regular season, the club now aims higher; sharing the playmaking load and defensive stability must follow.
First date of the regular season
Philadelphia open away to the New York Knicks on Tuesday 20 October at 19h local time, which is Wednesday 21 October at 00h00 in Brazzaville. This trip will offer a first marker on the sharing of initiatives and the interior options. Find the New York–Philadelphia match page, the Sixers' roster and schedule and the NBA schedule on SNA.
Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 00:00, Brazzaville time · match centre
- The team’s live schedule appears here.
Countdown to tip-off.