The Philadelphia 76ers superteam are widely regarded as championship contenders due to the talent on the roster, but that talent could end up being their downfall. They had an amazing offseason in retrospect, as they added Jaylen Brown via a trade that sent Paul George to Boston, while also signing LeBron James, Dean Wade, and Anfernee Simons in free agency.
Philadelphia has made major acquisitions in only a single offseason. They would seem to skyrocket the 76ers’ chances of winning a title in Philadelphia for the first time since 1983. We have seen stacked teams like this before. What makes this one different is the number of ball-dominant players on this team.
There are, quite literally, four superstars on this team, and all of them love the ball in their hands, and rightfully so; they’ve deserved to play like this because they’re all great. The usage rate between the big four of James, Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey is all through the roof, so it makes you wonder how this team is actually going to click.
Based on the 2025-26 season, James had a 27.2% usage rate, Brown had a staggering 36.1%, Maxey had a 29.4%, while Embiid also had a 33.3%. They won’t have the ball in their hands as much on a roster of this caliber, and that might upset a few players. This 76ers superteam won’t be perfect from the jump, as many players are going to be put in new roles they’ve never been in.
Brown seemed to enjoy this past season as the number one option; with teammate Jayson Tatum recovering from an Achilles tear, he claimed this was his favorite season of his career. A big reason Brown said that is he had the freedom to do what he wanted, as he was the main focal point of the offense. He won’t be able to play this way on this 76ers superteam, which might upset him.
Brown is coming off the best season of his career, and he’s going to want to keep that level of play. Maxey also came off a career year this past season. He recorded the highest usage rate of his career, while also being the best player on this 76ers team for the past two seasons, due to Embiid’s injuries.
Maxey comes off a season averaging 28.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game in 38 minutes a night. Brown, meanwhile, averaged 28.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.1 APG, while shooting 47.7% from the field and 79.5% from the free-throw line. These players won’t want to change up their play style all that much, so expect Embiid and James to take a backseat, as Maxey and Brown look to be the first and second options for this 76ers superteam.
Both Brown and Maxey are going to have to buy into a system where they’ll be touching the ball a lot less. Coming off career years, they might not be fully behind such a game plan. V.J. Edgecombe, who showed out in his rookie year averaging 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, might take the hardest hit out of everyone.
Edgecombe’s production is going to dip significantly. This could hinder his development and hurt his payday when it comes in a couple of years. This 76ers superteam projected starting lineup is Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, James, and Embiid. It looks phenomenal on paper, but could easily appear better than how it actually plays out.
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Nick Nurse is going to have a lot on his hands, as he has to be able to keep his players’ egos out of the way of the main goal. Look for James and Embiid to keep their bodies fresh throughout the regular season by sitting out games, as Brown and Maxey will be leading the way. Talent-wise, this team is up there with the Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors, but can they accomplish what Golden State achieved? This 76ers superteam has too many attitudes that will end up limiting their play on the court.
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