Philadelphia must play its creators together
Brown and James join Maxey, Embiid and Edgecombe. Nick Nurse must share out the creation duties and organise a frontcourt rotation without Hukporti.
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Philadelphia have chosen to pile up 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; now he must decide how his players will share the offensive load and who will hold the team together when the combinations change. Defence and the minutes without Embiid will matter as much as the names on the marquee.
The starting point: 45 wins and a second round reached
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 baseline remains useful for understanding the new roster, but the summer has shifted responsibilities enough to rule out a simple continuation of last season.
Philadelphia scored 115.9 points and conceded 116.1 per game in the regular season. The differential was slightly negative despite a winning record. Adding two celebrated creators does not settle the collective balance on its own. Nurse will have to tie together the work on the ball handler, the help defence near the rim and rebounding, while keeping enough movement in the offence.
per game · 2025–26
per game · 2025–26
The moves: Brown and James change the responsibilities
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 on the move or take a possession into his own hands; the other brings a reading of the game that can coordinate the team's initiatives. Fitting them around Maxey and Embiid is not just a matter of adding points: choices will have to be made about who starts the action and how the others stay involved.
The recruitment also reaches the bench. Anfernee Simons provides perimeter scoring, Dean Wade a forward-big profile, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope an experienced option in the backcourt and Ariel Hukporti a presence at centre. Labaron Philon Jr., taken 22nd in the 2026 draft, joins the group 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 frontcourt plan has already changed, however: Hukporti suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon during the preseason. The operation was confirmed in early October. He is still 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 a help defender, instead of constantly having to produce the first opening. The value of this arrangement will be measured by the quality of the shots it produces: chances created together, rather than a string of isolated attacks.
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 have to be planned. James can act as a passing hub, Brown can take on some of the attacks off the dribble, and Edgecombe can keep progressing after his first NBA season. The young guard must keep chances to defend, run the floor and attack space, even when 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 with at least a hundred minutes played. That statistic estimates the share of a team's possessions a player finishes while 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 in 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. That projection remains to be adjusted to the players available and is not an announcement of the opening-night starting five. Maxey could initiate at speed, James organise certain sequences, Brown attack mismatches and Embiid anchor 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-point attempts taken directly off a catch: a benchmark 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 options at centre with Hukporti out. 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. Everyone'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 weapon
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.
Roster updated as of 20 October 2026
The group listed as of 20 October 2026 comprises 17 players. The roles below are meant to help read the possible combinations; they are neither a rotation hierarchy nor an official line-up. Unavailable players remain included in the roster.
17 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 | – | – | – |
| Forwards and wing players | ||||
| Jaylen Brown | – | – | – | |
| LeBron James | – | – | – | |
| Justin Edwards | – | – | – | |
| Rayan Rupert | Two-way | – | – | – |
| Dominick Barlow | – | – | – | |
| Jabari Walker | – | – | – | |
| Dean Wade | – | – | – | |
| Bigs | ||||
| Joel Embiid | 26.9 | 7.7 | 3.9 | |
| Adem Bona | – | – | – | |
| Ariel Hukporti | – | – | – | |
| Tacko Fall | – | – | – | |
Roster as at 20 October 2026. Roles are not exclusive; being in the squad guarantees neither availability nor playing time. Medical points in the story keep their original date of record. Grouped by role, with versatile profiles. Embiid's stats: 2025–26 regular season. "–" = value not included here.
Compared with the training group first presented, Jameer Nelson Jr. and Dillon Jones are no longer on this roster.
Strengths and risks: variety is not enough without continuity
The group's first strength is its ability to 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 undermined by too-frequent changes of combination. The availability of the key players and the depth at centre are two very concrete limits. The sheer volume of talent allows the team to aim high, but guarantees neither constant rim protection nor well-organised finishes to games.
The assets
- Several players able to create an advantage.
- Attacking options both with and without the ball.
- Different bench profiles.
The issues to resolve
- Continuity of line-ups and pairings.
- 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 clearly and build answers for when one of the first options is unavailable.
Progress will be visible if Maxey can receive 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 demands turning this depth into shared habits.
Seventh in the East in the 2025–26 regular season, the club now aims higher; shared creation and defensive stability must follow.
First regular-season date
Philadelphia open away at the New York Knicks on Tuesday 20 October at 19:00 local time, which is Wednesday 21 October at 0:00 in Brazzaville. The trip will give a first benchmark on the sharing of initiative and the options in the frontcourt. Find the New York–Philadelphia match page, the Sixers' roster and schedule and the NBA calendar on SNA.
Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 00:00, Brazzaville time · match centre
- The team’s live schedule appears here.
Countdown to tip-off.