Do the 76ers Have the NBA’s Best Starting Five After Adding LeBron James?

The Philadelphia 76ers have spent years chasing the kind of roster that forces the rest of the NBA to stop and stare.

Now they may finally have one.

A projected starting five of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid looks almost unreal on a lineup graphic. It carries the weight of 36 All-Star selections, five MVP awards, a former NBA Finals MVP, one of the league’s most dangerous young guards, and one of the most explosive young players entering the NBA.

TL;DR

• The Philadelphia 76ers’ projected starting five of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and Joel Embiid may be the NBA’s most headline-grabbing lineup.
• The group combines 36 All-Star selections and five MVP awards, driven mainly by LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
• Philadelphia’s biggest strengths are star power, size, shot creation, transition force, foul pressure and late-game options.
• The biggest questions are spacing, defensive assignments, Embiid and LeBron’s health, and how quickly VJ Edgecombe can handle a major role.
• The 76ers may have the NBA’s most powerful projected starting five on paper, but their season will depend on chemistry, availability and sacrifice.

That is not a normal starting lineup. That is a basketball argument.

After LeBron James officially joined the 76ers and selected No. 23 for the 2026-27 season, Philadelphia instantly became one of the league’s biggest stories. Reuters reported that James is attempting to become the first player to win NBA championships with four different franchises, after previous title runs with the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. The same report also noted that Philadelphia’s roster now includes Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe around him.

The NBA’s official site remains the central destination for league scores, schedules, team news and player information through NBA.com. But right now, the most fascinating question may sit in Philadelphia.

Do the 76ers have the NBA’s best projected starting five?

The short answer is this: they may have the most dangerous one. Whether they have the best one depends on what version of each player shows up, how the ball moves, how the defense holds, and whether age, health and spacing stay under control.

For more NBA coverage, visit The Sports Encounter’s NBA hub.

Philadelphia’s Projected Starting Five At A Glance

On paper, the 76ers’ lineup has almost every ingredient a contender wants. Maxey brings speed. Edgecombe brings athletic pressure. Brown brings two-way force. LeBron brings control, intelligence and playoff memory. Embiid brings interior dominance, scoring gravity and elite rim protection when healthy.

Position	Player	Primary Value	Biggest Question
PG	Tyrese Maxey	Speed, scoring, pull-up shooting, transition pressure	Can he balance aggression with playmaking beside LeBron?
SG	VJ Edgecombe	Athleticism, downhill pressure, defensive tools	Can he handle starting-level decision-making early?
SF	Jaylen Brown	Physical wing scoring, defense, playoff experience	How cleanly does he fit beside LeBron and Embiid?
PF	LeBron James	Playmaking, leadership, transition command, late-game control	Can he stay healthy and impactful at 41?
C	Joel Embiid	Elite scoring, foul pressure, post play, rim protection	Can he stay available deep into the season?

This is why the Sky Sports-style graphic has traveled so widely across social media. It captures the shock value in one image. Philly’s lineup is not built around one star and four helpers. It is built around layers of star power.

LeBron and Embiid alone would make any lineup nationally relevant. Add Brown and Maxey, and the 76ers move from interesting to frightening. Add Edgecombe’s upside, and the conversation changes again.

That fifth name matters because the 76ers do not need Edgecombe to be a finished star on opening night. They need him to run, defend, attack gaps and punish the attention that others create. If he does that, Philadelphia’s lineup becomes much harder to guard.

Why This Lineup Looks So Overwhelming On Paper

The first reason is simple: the 76ers now have too many players who can bend a defense.

Embiid can draw double teams from the post, elbows and mid-post. LeBron can force rotations with one drive or one pass. Maxey can collapse defenses with speed. Brown can punish weak defenders through strength and shot-making. Edgecombe can pressure the rim before defenses are set.

Most NBA teams can survive one elite advantage creator. Great teams usually have two. Philadelphia may now have four proven ones, plus a rookie athlete who can become a fifth if his game translates quickly.

That creates a brutal defensive problem.

If opponents load up on Embiid, LeBron can organize the weak side. If they switch smaller defenders onto Embiid, Philadelphia can slow the game and punish the mismatch. If they send extra help at LeBron, Maxey can attack tilted coverage. If they hide weaker defenders on Edgecombe, the rookie’s cutting and transition speed can make that uncomfortable.

This is the kind of roster that can win possessions in multiple ways. It can play through the post. It can run after misses. It can isolate. It can hunt switches. It can close games through two-man actions between LeBron and Embiid, Maxey and Embiid, or LeBron and Brown.

For deeper legacy context, read our LeBron James vs Michael Jordan vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar debate.

The LeBron-Embiid Partnership Changes Everything

The most fascinating part of this lineup is the LeBron-Embiid partnership.

LeBron has spent two decades solving defenses before they fully reveal themselves. Embiid has spent years drawing attention without always having the perfect late-game structure around him. Together, they could give Philadelphia a different kind of offensive clarity.

Embiid no longer has to create every hard shot alone. LeBron can enter the ball cleanly, manipulate help defenders, and create rhythm touches. That sounds basic, but it matters. Great big men become more dangerous when they receive the ball in the right place, at the right time, with the defense already moving.

LeBron also gives Embiid a release valve when playoff defenses shrink the floor. Philadelphia has often looked stuck in late postseason possessions when the ball stopped, the spacing tightened, and Embiid had to solve a crowd. LeBron gives them another decision-maker who can slow the panic.

The reverse is just as important.

Embiid gives LeBron a half-court anchor unlike almost anyone he has played with late in his career. Anthony Davis gave him elite defense and vertical finishing. Embiid gives him post scoring, face-up scoring, free-throw pressure, pick-and-pop range, and an offensive center who can be the first option for long stretches.

That could help LeBron conserve energy. He does not need to dominate every possession. He can choose moments, run the team, attack matchups, and become more selective.

At 41, selectivity may be the difference between a memorable final chapter and a season that looks better on posters than on the court.

Tyrese Maxey Is The Speed Engine

If LeBron is the brain and Embiid is the force, Maxey is the engine.

Philadelphia cannot afford to become slow, heavy and predictable. Maxey prevents that. His first step changes pace. His open-floor speed gives the 76ers a way to score before opponents can build the wall around Embiid. His shooting range also gives LeBron more room to operate.

Maxey’s role may be the most delicate of the five starters.

He has already grown into a major offensive player. Now he must learn how to stay aggressive beside LeBron without turning into a passenger. That balance is not automatic. Younger stars sometimes become too deferential around legendary players. Maxey cannot do that.

Philadelphia needs his violence in the open floor. It needs his pull-up threat. It needs him attacking closeouts, punishing switches, and forcing defenders to guard 94 feet of pressure.

The good news is that Maxey’s game should travel well beside LeBron. He does not need the ball for 18 seconds to matter. He can sprint into handoffs, relocate after passes, attack early offense, and punish defenses that overhelp.

That makes him one of the most important players in this entire experiment.

For more on LeBron’s Philadelphia move, read why LeBron wearing No. 23 for the 76ers became a major NBA storyline.

Jaylen Brown Gives Philadelphia A Different Kind Of Edge

Jaylen Brown may be the player who makes this lineup feel physically unfair.

He gives Philadelphia a powerful wing who can guard up, attack mismatches, pressure the rim and score through contact. In modern playoff basketball, strong two-way wings are gold. Brown has lived inside high-stakes postseason games. He understands the physicality, the scouting, the noise, and the way series change after every game.

That matters for a 76ers team that cannot treat this season like a long-term development project.

Brown also gives Philadelphia another player who can take a difficult matchup away from LeBron. That could prove huge during the regular season. LeBron should not have to guard the opponent’s most explosive wing every night. Brown can absorb many of those assignments, while Edgecombe develops and Embiid protects the back line.

Offensively, Brown’s fit will require discipline. He will need to attack decisively, avoid sticky possessions, and keep the ball moving when defenses load up. That has always been the tradeoff with high-powered lineups. Everyone must give up something.

If Brown embraces that, Philadelphia’s ceiling rises sharply.

VJ Edgecombe Is The Swing Piece

Every superteam has a pressure point. For Philadelphia, VJ Edgecombe may be it.

That is not a criticism. It is reality.

LeBron, Embiid, Brown and Maxey are known commodities. We know their strengths. We know their playoff value. We know their star profiles. Edgecombe is different. His athleticism is real, his upside is obvious, and his energy could be exactly what an older star-heavy lineup needs.

Still, starting as a young guard on a title-chasing team is not easy.

Opponents will test his handle. They will help off him if his shot becomes inconsistent. They will force him into quick reads. In the playoffs, every young player gets dragged into the spotlight until he proves he can survive there.

That is why Edgecombe’s job should be simple early.

Run. Defend. Cut. Attack open lanes. Hit open shots. Keep the ball moving. Bring energy without trying to prove he belongs on every possession.

If he grows into more, Philadelphia becomes terrifying. If he struggles, the 76ers may eventually need a more experienced floor-spacing guard in closing lineups.

Where The Lineup Could Be Historically Strong

The graphic’s most eye-catching line is the combined star power: 36 All-Star selections and five MVP awards. That gives Philadelphia one of the most decorated projected starting fives in recent memory.

But reputation alone does not win games. Fit does.

Here is where the 76ers could be elite:

Area	Why Philadelphia Could Dominate
Shot creation	LeBron, Embiid, Maxey and Brown can all create offense in different ways.
Free-throw pressure	Embiid, LeBron and Brown can force contact and put opponents in foul trouble.
Transition offense	Maxey and Edgecombe can run, while LeBron remains one of the best open-floor passers ever.
Late-game options	Philadelphia can run offense through LeBron, Embiid, Maxey or Brown depending on matchup.
Size and physicality	Brown, LeBron and Embiid create a powerful frontcourt that can punish smaller teams.
National pressure experience	LeBron and Brown have lived through championship-level attention.

This is where the best-starting-five argument becomes real.

Other teams may have cleaner spacing. Some may have younger cores. Others may have better regular-season continuity. But very few can match Philadelphia’s combination of proven greatness, physical size, scoring diversity and playoff experience.

For another look at how LeBron changes the business of the NBA, read our analysis of the 76ers’ expected national TV surge.

The Spacing Question Will Not Go Away

Now comes the uncomfortable part.

This lineup is stacked, but it is not flawless. The biggest tactical question is spacing.

Embiid can shoot, but defenses still prefer him near the middle of the floor. LeBron can hit threes, but opponents may go under screens depending on the matchup and stage of the game. Brown’s jumper can be streaky. Edgecombe may need time. Maxey is the cleanest high-volume spacing threat among the five.

That could create tight driving lanes if the ball sticks.

Philadelphia must avoid turning possessions into five talented players standing around the arc while one star attacks. That style can work in regular-season bursts, but playoff defenses live for predictability.

The 76ers need movement. They need Maxey flying off screens. They need Brown cutting when defenders turn their heads. They need Edgecombe living in the dunker spot and corners. They need Embiid screening as often as he posts. LeBron must keep the ball moving before defenses fully load up.

The good version of this team will look powerful and connected.

The bad version will look crowded.

Can They Defend At A Championship Level?

The defensive ceiling is also complicated.

Embiid gives Philadelphia a legitimate back-line anchor. Brown gives them a strong wing defender. LeBron can still defend smartly when engaged, especially in important possessions. Edgecombe has the athletic profile to become a useful defender. Maxey competes, even if size can become an issue against bigger guards.

The question is whether they can defend every night across an 82-game season.

LeBron’s workload must be managed. Embiid’s health must be protected. Brown cannot be asked to cover every difficult perimeter matchup. Edgecombe will make rookie mistakes. Maxey may be targeted by bigger guards and wings in switches.

That means Philadelphia’s defensive system must be intelligent. They cannot rely only on talent. They need clear assignments, strong communication, and a bench that can absorb matchup demands.

In the playoffs, defense becomes personal. Opponents will hunt weak points. They will force switches. They will run Maxey through screens. They will test Edgecombe’s discipline. They will pull Embiid away from the rim. They will make LeBron defend in space.

If Philadelphia handles those tests, the best-starting-five debate gets serious fast.

The Health Question Is The Real Season

No part of this 76ers story matters more than availability.

LeBron is 41. Embiid has carried major physical concerns across multiple seasons. Brown and Maxey play with force. Edgecombe is young, but rookies can hit walls when the NBA schedule becomes relentless.

Philadelphia’s best lineup may be terrifying. But how often will it play together?

That question may define the 76ers’ regular season more than any tactical issue. The franchise cannot chase every December win like it is Game 7. It needs to build chemistry while protecting its stars. That sounds easy until national television, fan expectation and Eastern Conference seeding pressure arrive together.

LeBron’s arrival has already turned the 76ers into appointment viewing. Reports indicate Philadelphia could receive the maximum 34 national TV appearances. That brings attention, but it also brings temptation. Marquee games create pressure to play. Christmas games create pressure to perform. Rivalry games create pressure to prove the experiment is working.

The smartest version of Philadelphia will think beyond the schedule.

The 76ers need this lineup healthy in April, May and June. Anything else is noise.

How Philadelphia Compares With Other Elite Starting Fives

The best-starting-five debate depends on the standard.

If the standard is pure name value, Philadelphia may win. LeBron, Embiid, Brown and Maxey make a louder top four than almost anyone. If the standard is proven chemistry, other teams may have a stronger claim. If the standard is regular-season durability, Philadelphia has questions. If the standard is playoff matchup fear, the 76ers are right near the top.

Category	76ers Rating	Reason
Star power	Elite	LeBron, Embiid, Brown and Maxey give Philadelphia massive name value.
Shot creation	Elite	Four starters can generate offense against set defenses.
Spacing	Good but uncertain	Maxey helps, but defenses may test LeBron, Brown and Edgecombe from deep.
Defense	High ceiling	Embiid and Brown anchor the structure, but age and matchups matter.
Durability	Major question	LeBron and Embiid’s health will shape the entire season.
Playoff upside	Championship level	The lineup has enough elite talent to beat anyone if healthy.

The New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves and other contenders will all have arguments depending on roster movement, health and development. But Philadelphia’s starting five has a unique kind of pressure attached to it.

It is built to win now.

There is no gentle timeline when LeBron is 41 and Embiid is in win-now territory. The 76ers did not assemble this group to become interesting. They assembled it to chase a championship.

For more all-time NBA debate coverage, see our ranking of the 10 best NBA players ever.

What The 76ers Must Sacrifice To Make It Work

The hardest part of superteam basketball is rarely talent. It is sacrifice.

Maxey may have to give up some possessions. Brown may have to defend harder while taking fewer shots. LeBron may have to play more off the ball than usual. Embiid may have to screen, roll and pass earlier instead of trying to win every post touch alone. Edgecombe may have to accept a narrower role than his talent suggests.

That is where the season becomes psychological.

The 76ers need clarity before conflict appears. Who closes games? Who handles the ball late? Who takes the final shot? Which matchups decide closing lineups? How often does LeBron rest? How many minutes can Embiid safely play? How patient will the team be with Edgecombe?

These questions sound small in July. They become enormous in February after a three-game losing streak on national TV.

Philadelphia has enough experience to solve them. LeBron has played in every kind of pressure environment. Brown has won at the highest level. Embiid understands the burden of expectation. Maxey has grown through pressure rather than hiding from it.

Still, the locker room must become stronger than the noise around it.

Why This Lineup Could Become Must-Watch Basketball

Even with the questions, this 76ers lineup has the one thing every sports fan understands instantly.

It has event energy.

Every game could carry a storyline. LeBron returning to Los Angeles. LeBron facing Cleveland. Embiid against Nikola Jokic. Brown against Boston. Maxey against the league’s fastest guards. Edgecombe’s first real test against elite defenses. Christmas Day. Opening week. Playoff rematches. National TV debates.

The NBA understands that value. Broadcasters understand it too. Fans may tune in just to see whether the whole thing looks brilliant or unstable.

That is the beauty of this roster. It is not boring in either direction.

If it works, Philadelphia becomes a title monster. If it struggles, every game becomes a referendum on age, fit, ego and pressure. The league wins attention either way.

For The Sports Encounter’s wider basketball coverage, read why WNBA ticket prices are soaring in 2026.

Final Verdict: The 76ers May Have The NBA’s Most Dangerous Starting Five

So, do the Philadelphia 76ers have the NBA’s best projected starting five?

They have the strongest argument on star power. They may have the highest drama ceiling. They definitely have one of the league’s most intimidating combinations of scoring, size, intelligence and late-game options.

But the word “best” needs proof.

The 76ers must show that Maxey can stay aggressive beside LeBron. They must show that Brown can fit cleanly into a crowded star structure. They must show that Edgecombe can survive real defensive attention. They must protect Embiid’s body. They must manage LeBron’s season with patience and precision.

If those pieces hold, Philadelphia’s lineup can become the most feared five-man group in the league.

LeBron James did not just give the 76ers another famous name. He changed their basketball identity, their television value, their pressure level and their championship timeline in one move.

Philadelphia now has the kind of starting five fans debate before it ever plays a real game.

That is rare.

The next step is harder.

The 76ers have to turn the graphic into a team.