The Decision 4.0 wasn’t a grandiose television spectacle that captivated millions of viewers. Nor was it an emotional return home or an emboldened attempt to etch an imprint into a historic franchise’s tapestry.
LeBron James’ resolution, choosing the Philadelphia 76ers as his fourth and final destination entering his 24th season, was a move not rooted in flash or pizazz but one centered in logic. In contention.
Advertisement
“I still want to sacrifice,” the 41-year-old said on his X account on what had been an eerily quiet Friday morning. “I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.”
The tail end of James’ three-part message — which in itself is a clear indication of the very online times society is in — offered some insight into the reasoning behind his ultimate decision. He thanked Los Angeles, professed his love for Miami and reaffirmed his family ties to Cleveland. There was no mention of Golden State, no nod to Minnesota and no acknowledgment of any other team that had reportedly positioned itself for a potential arrival.
Much of the league landscape has been on pause since LeBron decided to leave the Lakers; a billion-dollar industry waiting hand and foot on him for schedule planning purposes; a blockbuster trade essentially being placed on hold pending a salary-cap circumvention investigation; a collection of veteran players anticipating trickle-down effects.
Advertisement
But ultimately, what gave the 76ers the edge compared to options like the Heat and Cavaliers is the ability to compete, right now. James will be 42 years old by the time next season’s playoffs roll around — too risky of a ploy to hitch his wagon for one last ride to a Miami roster that remains incomplete, even after trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a Cleveland team with more fit questions than answers. Sometimes, the best answer is the simplest one.
“S***, they’re trying to go get a championship,” Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. told Yahoo Sports. “I respect it.”
What LeBron is walking into is a ready-made group from Day 1. You’d be hard-pressed to find a team in any offseason, maybe ever, that can replace Paul George, Quentin Grimes, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. with James, Jaylen Brown, Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons. (Also, what a summer for new lead executive Mike Gansey!) Philly’s projected starting lineup — Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James and Joel Embiid — immediately forms the most talented five-man unit in the East sans New York.
(The road to the Larry O’Brien still runs through Manhattan, just to be clear. Despite losing Mitchell Robinson to Boston, I’d place decent amounts of money on the Knicks’ front seven juxtaposed with just about any team in the NBA. The Nick Nurse factor definitely influences things — his new toys would fare far better than the hand he was dealt a few months ago in the second round — but it appears these two teams are on a collision course to May, all things considered.)
Now to the fun stuff: What does this look like from a basketball standpoint?
Advertisement
Examining from a micro lens, the 76ers have more than enough talent to keep LeBron’s legs fresh during the regular season, a slew of innings eaters who should limit his day-to-day workload (despite playing 22 games less than veteran wing Bruce Brown, James finished with just eight fewer total minutes).
This doesn’t factor in his actual in-game usage, though. There’s a reason why James’ usage or assist rate hasn’t dipped below the 97th percentile in a quarter of a century — and why I’d expect the 76ers to provide him with as much half-court accommodations as possible. The Lakers finishing sixth in playoff assists per game (compared to Philly’s bottom-three performance) is a miracle, no less without the services of Luka Dončić and with a hobbled Austin Reaves. That the 76ers finished 29th during the regular season in assists is no surprise, either. Maxey is best served as a turbo engine (scaling back his need to create for others should help with his efficiency even more) and George/Embiid/Edgecombe were capable connectors (all three averaged just about four assists per game) but none can offer what James brings from a pure playmaking perspective. There’s also enough historic data that shows that if you space the floor for LeBron, he’ll find you better shots. Basically, James excels at a glaring Philadelphia weakness, will serve as a much-needed connector for Brown and Maxey, and allow those talented perimeter scorers to flourish even more than they already have in their respective careers.
(Defensively, it’s humorous to refer to anything James-related as underrated after 23 years, but his ability to deter shots from the rim, paired with Embiid’s ability to thwart such attempts, should pair well for a team that sat around league average in defensive rating for a majority of the year.)
He’s the smartest player in basketball history, knows how to scale up or down his role based on accompanying personnel, and should provide a ton of regular-season value. There will naturally be an adjustment period — four players used to having the ball in their hands an awful lot will need to learn how to not do that — but there’s enough smarts and know-how to go around.
Advertisement
“I don’t know what it looks like, man,” said one player who’s faced LeBron dozens of times. “Ain’t gonna lie. Everything takes time. It’ll take time to figure out for sure. But that starting five is four All-Stars and VJ. It’s a lot of chefs in the kitchen, but if they can figure it out, they’ll be dangerous.”
Spinning things forward some, the real test of James in Philly won’t come until April, May and maybe June. To that degree, LeBron is still regarded as a playoff riser. In the history of professional basketball, the list of players in NBA history to average at least 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists at age 35 is only four deep. They’re all named LeBron James. Even if you factor in the drop in his shooting efficiency in his most recent postseason run, his positive influence defensively when the games matter most is worth noting. It’s a vastly different roster than the one that was designed around him a few months ago — he shouldn’t be tasked with Herculean efforts such as dragging a Lakers team across the first-round finish line. And for what it’s worth, let’s go ahead and do away with the Western Conference as the NBA’s powerhouse, at least in the immediate future. It’s an Eastern Conference world now.
Advertisement
“It’s gonna be good, man,” Carter said. “It’s usually been the West being the best, but I feel like the East has kind of reshaped itself. It’s going to be an exciting NBA run for sure.”
Full disclaimer: We’re still in late July. The 76ers still need a training camp, preseason and some months to really figure out what this thing looks like. There will be growing pains as this uber-talented roster learns to understand each other and some nights will look better than others. The well-documented injury history pertaining to Embiid (and quietly James — he’s played in 60 games or less in five out of the last eight seasons) will come into play at some point. But my goodness this has a chance to be something phenomenal, and LeBron’s last decision might be his most important yet.
Read the full article here