Nobody in Cleveland would want LeBron James to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers but he and the Philadelphia 76ers would be a great match.
The idea that LeBron James would leave the Cleveland Cavaliers join the Philadelphia 76ers, who will have the ability to sign James to a max contract next summer, isn’t far-fetched at all.
Consider the age of James and the Cleveland Cavaliers versus that of the Sixers, James’ relationship with Ben Simmons (a favorite for the Rookie of the Year award) and that the Sixers likely have the most talented young core in the NBA.
Both Simmons and Joel Embiid possess skillsets perfectly suited for this New (some might say Golden) Age of basketball.
Simmons looks like the second coming of James with his passing ability and versatility. Although Simmons hasn’t shown much of an outside jumper in his first season, he has looked better on the defensive end then he was projected to coming out of college.
Embiid, who likely would have won Rookie of the Year last season if he didn’t miss half of it due to injury, is a menace on both ends of the floor as well. He’s a big-time shot-blocker with the athleticism and defensive awareness needed to be great in pick-and-roll defense. On offense, he has a bevy of post moves and range out to the three-point line.
Just looking at the traditional numbers, Embiid and Simmons are combining for 40.8 points, 20.4 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 2.9 steals and 2.7 blocks per game this season.
Last season, one in which the Cleveland Cavaliers’ triumvirate looked more comfortable than ever, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for 44.2 points, 14.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Just for kicks, the 2012-2013 season was the season in which James (with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) had what was likely their best season as teammates on the Miami Heat. Wade and Bosh combined for 37.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
Statistically, Simmons and Embiid would seem to be the most dynamic pair of teammates that James has played with. Their size (Simmons is 6-foot-10 while Embiid is a true 7-footer) and athleticism allows them to dominate on the glass and defensively., Their uncanny ability to score in the paint is seen in the fact that Simmons and Embiid score a combined 24.6 points in the paint per game and score 8.9 points per game from free-throws.
With James, who is averaging 15.7 points in the paint per game this season, the Sixers would have the league’s most dominant offense – at least when it comes to getting inside. Their ball-movement wouldn’t be too shabby either, nor their ability to play off of each other.
Simmons and Embiid already work a nice two-man game while James and his protegé Simmons likely could as well. It’s hard to see James having bad synergy with Embiid, who would be the most skilled true center he played with since Zydrunas Ilgauskus (a player he had great on-court chemistry with).
With Robert Covington, who is making 3.6 three-point field goals per game (49.5 percent shooting from the field) beside them in the starting lineup and at least one other decent three-point shooter in the starting lineup (a healthy Markelle Fultz perhaps), the Sixers could have the most dynamic offense in the league.
Combine that with their size (Fultz is 6-foot-4 and Covington is 6-foot-9) and their defensive potential and the Sixers would be legitimate championship contenders with James on the roster. All they’d likely need is a few wily veterans to sign on minimum deals.
Looking at the Philadelphia 76ers’ 8-6 record, with quality wins over the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers. Wins that have come despite their top selection in the 2017 NBA Draft (the top selection overall), Fultz, playing only four games and not playing well in the games he played in (likely due to a shoulder injury).
The 76ers are, unlike the Cleveland Cavaliers, also a team that has proven it can win without James. 8-6 isn’t the best record in the world but it’s better than the Cavs record without James after 14 games (1-13).
The NBA is a league where the next best thing – the style of play that transcends the current configuration of the sport – is literally the next best thing – the most polarizing and exciting entity within The Association. In the 1990s, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls made go-to scorers in isolation and the triangle offense popular while taking the league by storm.
At the turn of the millennium, Kobe Bryant emulated Jordan’s passion on the court and his style of play as well. However, with the league dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs at this time, skilled post players – ones like Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and David Robinson – became popular as well.
In this decade, James transformed the league with his move to the Miami Heat – a decision that resulted in “the modern Big Three” and was the progenitor to small-ball. The Golden State Warriors have now become the league’s “next best thing”, while making ball-movement and three-point shooting more important than they ever were.
As a result, the league doesn’t resemble what it did thirty years ago or twenty years ago, although the semi-positionless approach harkens back to the 1960s version of the NBA. A version without nearly as much athleticism or talent through the league, however.
While many may mention James being the first player to take three different NBA franchises to the NBA Finals as his “Jordan” Finals accomplishment, one that could never be replicated (some may say being the first player to lead both teams in all statistical categories or coming back from down 3-1 works), that’s not the only transcendent accomplishment for James to reach in the twilight of his career.
With Simmons and Embiid, beside him, the Sixers could be a truly positionless team because of the size and skillsets of their players. The Sixers would have even better passers in their frontcourt than the Warriors and one that doesn’t rely on the three-point shot to dominate.
James could be part of the next best thing in the NBA if he went to the Sixers, something unlikely to happen if he stayed stagnant in Cleveland. There are some that may point to the Los Angeles Lakers and say that they have as much potential for success in the future as the Sixers, largely because of the ascension of Kyle Kuzma. However, the Lakers – while not only showing an inability to get quality wins (and thus help convince James to come) – present two issues that James is unlikely to want to deal with year-in and year-out: LaVar Ball and an extremely tough path to reach the NBA Finals.
There’s one last thing to note about James signing with the Sixers:
Playing on a team with youth, one that would be able to keep up with the pace of other teams on defense and even push the pace what other teams are comfortable with on offense, would be something James has never really had.
Going to the City of Brotherly Love would be an intelligent basketball move for James. James playing with a head full of steam is a scary thought but it doesn’t happen enough. It’s also unfortunate that the age of James’ teams has hindered them defensively. As James ages, his ability to compensate for others’ defensive mistakes and to go full-speed at all times will take a hit.
That’s where players like Simmons and Embiid will make their mark especially and, in showing their value to a championship-contending team, take the torch from the King as the future of the NBA.
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*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com