LeBron James has been warned not to get carried away with dreams of title success with the Philadelphia 76ers.
LeBron James stunned the basketball world in the offseason with his decision to quit the LA Lakers and join the Philadelphia 76ers.
His move followed a shocking trade between the 76ers and Boston Celtics that saw Philadelphia acquire Jaylen Brown and ditch Paul George.
James and Brown add to the core of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid, and one of those players has been picked out as a weak link.
Speaking to ESPN’s Get Up, analyst Tim MacMahon says he does not believe the Sixers can win the NBA Championship, pointing to LeBron James’ age – and more worryingly, Joel Embiid’s unpredictability.
MacMahon explained: “I’m a Sixers skeptic. You are relying on a guy who turns 42 and a big man who you hope plays 40 games. I am concerned.
“This is a phenomenal fantasy basketball lineup, I don’t know how it fits together, on just the usage, how it gets spliced up. Do these guys enhance each other? This is a team that one through four play at 100mph. There are four Ferraris and a Winnebago in the starting line-up. How does Joel Embiid fit with this?
“Joel Embiid is the franchise, he’s used to being the first option. What is he now the third option, fourth option, how does he deal with that just from an ego perspective?”
“It’s going to take some time to figure things out. I don’t think the Sixers are going to be a championship team or even a conference team this season.”
Joel Embiid questions
Fellow ESPN expert Bobby Marks expressed a more positive view on the Philadelphia 76ers chances. However, he also expressed a level of worry about Joel Embiid.
Marks said: “I think they’ve got some championship pedigree, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James have already won championships, the other three players haven’t.
“Offensively it’s going to be as dynamic as any team, usage rate is going to be a little bit of a concern, they are going to have to share the basketball and so many players are ball dominant.
“I don’t have a concern. If there’s anything it’s where is Joel Embiid when they get to April?”
Joel Embiid led the 76ers to a 3-1 comeback against the Celtics in last year’s playoffs, but could not keep it up against the eventual champions the Knicks in the next round.
Embiid played 38 regular season games, averaging an impressive 26.9 points per game. His production on court has rarely been the issue, it is staying on there.
But as MacMahon points out, his contribution on court may even be overshadowed by the team’s new look additions. Perhaps that takes some pressure off and alleviates the wear and tear on his body.
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