\u201cIt\u2019s not a negative thing,\u201d James immediately clarified during the Sixers\u2019 media day last month. \u201c \u2026 [If] we\u2019re trying to do something special, which I believe we are, then it\u2019s a positive.\u201d <\/p>\n
Fellow newcomer Anfernee Simons concurred with James that day, saying sacrifice is \u201cgoing to be the word of the year\u201d for the 2026-27 Sixers. The next day, coach Nick Nurse<\/a> bristled slightly at the term, then later considered \u201cmaybe it\u2019s going to take me getting over that I don\u2019t like the word.\u201d Joel Embiid<\/a> twice said he does not believe in the \u201cconcept\u201d of sacrifice, garnering some social media criticism over the weekend. <\/p>\n That word can come with an icky connotation. \u201cSacrifice\u201d also is a natural way to describe outside expectation for these Sixers with four players who, in the past, have been their team\u2019s leading scorer and All-NBA performers and are now joining forces to vie for a championship. There is only one basketball, as the clich\u00e9 goes. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: LeBron James chose the Sixers in his \u2018final decision.\u2019 Now he\u2019s bringing a championship \u2018blueprint\u2019 to Philly.<\/a><\/p>\n Though others might prefer a different label, the Sixers, who were asked about this word in recent weeks, generally described the selfless steps to swiftly gel \u2014 and the required focus on impacting winning \u2014 in order to contend in a suddenly deep Eastern Conference. That quest officially begins with Tuesday night\u2019s opener at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, a run-it-back roster of players who masterfully understood and executed their roles on their playoff tear to the 2026 championship. <\/p>\n \u201cI want the players to be who they are,\u201d Nurse said. \u201cAnd I want them to enjoy being who they are as they collaborate and come together. That\u2019s the deal.\u201d <\/p>\n A reminder of the talent that must converge after the Sixers shockingly acquiring James and Jaylen Brown<\/a> during a transformative offseason: <\/p>\n James arguably is the greatest player of all time, and still an All-Star-caliber player at age 41. <\/p>\n Brown is coming off his best individual season (28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists per game) and finished seventh in MVP voting. <\/p>\n Tyrese Maxey also put together a career year in 2025-26, ranking fifth in the NBA in scoring (28.3 points per game) and making his first All-NBA team at age 25. <\/p>\n Embiid is a former MVP and two-time NBA scoring champion, though he has missed significant time due to injuries the past three seasons. <\/p>\n On paper, Knicks coach Mike Brown recently called the Sixers\u2019 revamped roster \u201cjust loaded.\u201d He compared it to James\u2019 Miami Heat teams that won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, while also being led by Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. <\/p>\n Maxey acknowledged that means it feels as if \u201ceverybody\u2019s talking about\u201d the usage rates \u2014 which estimate the percentage of team possessions that end with an individual player taking a shot or free throw, or committing a turnover \u2014 among those stars. Yet the point guard views the Sixers\u2019 too-frequent preseason turnovers as \u201cunselfish\u201d and evidence that they are attempting to push the pace and make the right play for teammates. <\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t turnovers where guys were dribbling around and not passing to each other,\u201d Maxey said. \u201c \u2026 They\u2019re getting the \u2018aggressive\u2019 turnovers to set their teammates up. That\u2019s a step in the right direction. You can tell that we\u2019re going to play together.\u201d <\/p>\n James\u2019 examples of the \u201ccollective sacrifice\u201d he seeks? Trading one or two shots for more fourth-quarter \u201cbursts of energy\u201d to take a charge, crash for an offensive rebound, or sprint for a chase-down block. He also rolled out the \u201ccomfortable being uncomfortable\u201d phrase, mostly referring to the meticulous and methodical daily habits that yield on-court results. And James did take a dig at unspecified players across the league who have \u201cnever made a sacrifice in their career\u201d while compiling impressive statistical numbers but few playoff wins. <\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s the way you want your career to be, then that\u2019s fine,\u201d James said. \u201cEveryone has different goals. \u2026 I don\u2019t think anybody in the locker room [has] that feeling or [wants] their career to be like that, or we wouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Why a healthy Joel Embiid has been essential for the new-look Sixers during the preseason: \u2018Everybody\u2019s pushing each other\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Outside of the Sixers\u2019 assembled big four, VJ Edgecombe<\/a> might not take the statistical leap typical of somebody with his talent and athleticism in Year 2. But, in Maxey\u2019s words, Edgecombe could still be the Sixers\u2019 \u201cmost important player\u201d because of his impact potential on both ends. Players who logged significant minutes last season, such as former starting forward Dominick Barlow, will slide down the rotation pecking order but create more reliable depth. Newcomer Dean Wade, best known as a versatile defender and offensive floor-spacer, automatically exemplifies the complementary attributes this team needs. <\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I had to sacrifice anything,\u201d Wade said. \u201cI just have to play hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Maxey added that the word \u201csacrifice\u201d can apply to a player shifting their personal routine to do extra on-court work with new teammates in an effort to build camaraderie and timing, or in speaking up to hold each other accountable. <\/p>\n Nurse, meanwhile, still anticipates moments throughout the season for specific players to provide \u201csomething super special.\u201d Preparing for on-court responsibilities to fluctuate on various nights comes with any 82-game NBA season, but especially one during which James and Embiid are expected to at least periodically rest to manage their health. Nurse also remains in the early stages of experimenting with different lineup combinations throughout each game, and how the offense will run through them during those stretches. <\/p>\n Some alternatives to \u201csacrifice\u201d that Nurse might prefer? When asked which trait his team had demonstrated during the preseason that he hopes translates to the games that count, Nurse said the players have been \u201ctremendously connected.\u201d Nurse also has worn bracelets featuring the word \u201ccommit,\u201d which have been spotted on players. <\/p>\n Embiid views things in a similar lens. The big man wants each Sixer to be the \u201cbest version\u201d of himself, including being \u201cmore efficient than we\u2019ve ever been in our lives, in our career.\u201d The significant talent boost might leave each player with fewer touches per game, but more space to operate when the ball does find them. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just about being a star in your role and doing what you do best,\u201d Embiid added. \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody should be put in a box. Just go out there, be yourself. Good shot, great shot, bad shot, we\u2019ve all got each other\u2019s backs.\u201d<\/p>\n The only public glimpse at the Sixers\u2019 full new-look starting lineup came during the first half of a preseason game at the Brooklyn Nets. The small sample size featured five first-half assists \u2014 and only one shot attempt<\/a> \u2014 from James in a sign that he is ready to be a facilitator first. And an Edgecombe finish in transition and off a slick James bounce pass. And catch-and-shoot opportunities for Maxey, a skill he did not get to showcase much while needing to generate so much offense for himself with the ball in his hands in recent seasons.<\/p>\n Watch the first episode<\/p>\n After an exciting Sixers offseason highlighted by the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, join Inquirer beat writers Gina Mizell and Chris Hine for a preview of the season. Watch here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Sixers Extra podcast on Spotify<\/a> or Apple Podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wade also recently marveled at that group\u2019s offensive creation \u2014 not just from the ballhandler, but through teammates\u2019 cutting and spacing \u2014 while going up against the starting unit during practice.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re messing up on defense at all,\u201d Wade said. \u201c \u2026 It\u2019s, like, impossible to keep those guys out of the paint, keep them out of the extra shot, extra sprays [passes to the perimeter], and everything. It\u2019s tough, you know? <\/p>\n \u201cWhen they\u2019re all, like, super engaged and flowing like they were today, they are a tough team to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n Is \u201csacrifice\u201d the appropriate way to characterize what it takes to achieve that flow? Depends on who is asked. But the Sixers have generally described the same goals \u2014 and the steps it will take to swiftly gel \u2014 entering this highly anticipated season. <\/p>\n \u201cEverybody has really bought in and been a part of it,\u201d Wade said, \u201cthat I wouldn\u2019t even say anybody really has sacrificed. They\u2019re just playing their own game, and \u2026 the puzzle pieces are fitting in.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min NEW YORK \u2014 In LeBron James\u2019 first public appearance as a 76er, he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":888761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,372732,99],"class_list":["post-888760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sixers-lebron-james-tyrese-maxey-joel-embiid-jaylen-brown-sacrifice","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=888760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/888761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=888760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=888760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=888760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792494379_355_circle_outline_footer_light_theme.png\"\/)
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