Let’s get the nitpicks out of the way first.
There is way too much usage accounted for between LeBron, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid. LeBron is in his 40s. Embiid has maybe the scariest injury history in the NBA. The chances of everyone being anywhere near 100 percent for the playoffs are slim.
This is LeBron, who’s still a top 30-40 player in the NBA, joining an already talent-rich roster on a veteran minimum. That’s the kind of value that can absolutely swing the title race.
And while there will certainly be an adjustment period for everyone who’s gotten used to playing with the ball in their hands, everyone in this mix has experience deferring. Maxey has to Embiid, Embiid has to James Harden, LeBron has to Luka Dončić and Brown has to Jayson Tatum.
They can figure out the right offensive balance, and LeBron is the kind of problem-solving playmaker who can expedite that process.
Philly also has a budding potential star in Edgecombe, who will benefit from the amount of attention everyone else on the roster will get.
When you combine that starting five with a bench led by Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade, it’s not hard to get excited about this team’s chances to win the title.