Four quick thoughts on LeBron to Philly

Good, but not contenders

LeBron James is going to the Philadelphia 76ers. My first thought: I’m impressed. I thought LeBron would pick a team where he could command control. But the 76ers already have a ton of big names like Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey. LeBron, clearly, will not be the only loud voice in the room. I don’t think the 76ers are top tier contenders, but I do think the 76ers represent the best chance of winning out of the short list of teams LeBron was reportedly considering.

My second thought: This’ll be fun. The 76ers will be fun to watch. And I like that it sets up some real grudge matches with the scorned Cavaliers.

Betting lines moved

The 76ers odds of winning this year’s title shot up with this news, but that might not be because oddsmakers really think the 76ers will win. It might be because oddsmakers think a lot of people are about to bet on the 76ers to win. (Remember, oddsmakers move lines to keep half the bets on either side, and thus minimize risk.)

I love Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Labaron Philon Jr., Dominick Barlow, and the youth movement they have going in Philadelphia. I’m excited about what that group might do together in a few years … when the team can finally use Joel Embiid’s massive salary slot on players who are more likely to be available. To me, the idea of the 76ers as contenders, with this roster, hinges on Embiid manning the middle through multiple consecutive playoff series. And of course, LeBron’s at an age where he wasn’t sure, a few weeks ago, he would ever play again. Just continuing to play is a miracle. The 76ers are loaded, and much improved. Maxey is a potential future MVP. But who can bet on LeBron and Embiid both being at their best for a playoff run? And failing that, do you expect Ariel Hukporti and Adem Bona to hold their own against Karl-Anthony Towns?

I recently wrote about how the teams that do the best in the playoffs tend not to have any wasted contracts.

David Thorpe recently wrote:

They’re stuck with that albatross at center. The Sixers drafted Joel Embiid 12 years ago. When he plays he has often been among the very best in the game. But the poor man has been beset by so many injuries. Over his career he has played 490 games–an average of 41 a year. Now that he’s 32, and hasn’t managed to play 40 games even once in the last three seasons, I would sit him the entire year—or at least until April, so that he has a chance to contribute in the playoffs.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Maxey should be the focus

I guess the starters will be Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, LeBron James and … V.J. Edgecombe? Every single player on the court wants to score 40. It reminds me a little of when Shaq joined Dwyane Wade in Miami. The best thing for the team was to give the ball to Wade as much as possible, the dumbest thing would be for Wade to play a background role. I wonder if this team is ready to showcase, feature, and force-feed the incredible Tyrese Maxey. And I wonder if V.J.’s development will be stifled as he’s tanding in the corner on offense.

In Dunks and Threes data, Joel Embiid’s defense is good, but has never been worse. LeBron is on a similar trajectory.

Talk to me about defense

I doubt last season’s 16th-best defense has improved. Last year, Paul George was the 76ers’ one elite defender. He’s gone, replaced by Brown who has stirred debate mostly because his defensive production, in the analytics, is disappointing. Maxey plays hard but is small. If I coached against the 76ers, I’d figure out ways to make Embiid and LeBron run all over the court—and assume they won’t. LeBron and Embiid are both historically wonderful defenders who have now come back to the pack, with ordinary defensive numbers. The 76ers also now employ players like Anfernee Simons, Caleb Love, and Jabari Walker, who are all among the league’s worst in the advanced statistics.

An Apollo Global connection

Everyone thinks the Knicks are the team with the deepest connections to the Epstein class, just because Leon Black and his son sit in amazing seats. But don’t count the 76ers out! The Sixers are owned by Josh Harris, who made his billions at Apollo Global.

In 2022, LeBron’s friend and business partner Maverick Carter appeared on stage at a Forbes Summit with the Apollo Global CEO Marc Rowan.

Marc is an investor and board member at SpringHill, LeBron and Maverick’s original Hollywood production company. He raves about how Maverick runs his business.

Maverick explained that banker Paul Wachter introduced him to Marc and Apollo a decade ago, and says “I’ve literally been with Marc and Paul learning about business and finance ever since.” Maverick says he has been “an investor in Apollo for a very long time and Marc has become a personal friend.”

I’d like to know whether or not LeBron James is an investor in Apollo Global.

Of course, Apollo’s stock has tanked because of the company’s many deep ties to Jeffrey Epstein, which has been the focus of some prior discussion on TrueHoop, including a lot of emails between Harris and Epstein.

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