76ers' Starting Lineup Receives Immense Praise After Signing LeBron James

The starting unit for any sports team is the driving force behind whether you have a good team or a bad one. The name on the back of the jersey carries more weight than the impact they have in the lineup.

Bleacher Report came out with a list that detailed the best starting lineups for the 2026-2027 season. Greg Swartz of B/R believes the Philadelphia 76ers have the best starting five in the NBA. I’m sure many expected the 76ers to be high on this list, but I’m not quite sure we expected them to be ranked number one. 

When you look at the lineup, it’s pretty easy to stake that claim:

PG: Tyrese Maxey 

SG: V.J. Edgecombe

SF: Jaylen Brown

PF: LeBron James

C: Joel Embiid

There’s one glaring problem with this: you’re expecting a 41-year-old to bolster this roster to make your case that it’s the number one lineup. Now I know James isn’t your normal veteran. His stat line dictates that exact thing. Since turning 40, James has averaged 22.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 6.8 rebounds. He has outpaced Father Time, but in recent years it’s looked like it’s catching up to him as injuries have mounted.

While the list doesn’t account for potential injuries, you have to factor that in when talking about these kinds of lists. 

Take, for example, the 1998-1999 Houston Rockets. This was a team many believed to be a “super team" with Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, and Charles Barkley. Everyone forgets this team was one of the oldest rosters with players who were way past their prime. This didn’t stop people from believing this team had an NBA title written all over it. The only result was a lackluster loss in the playoffs and an out-of-shape Barkley clamoring about shirking accountability during that time. 

Now, I’m not saying this team is anything like the current Sixers team; it’s just to show how a name can change people's perspective of the team. 

A name can hold more weight than the player wearing the jersey, and that could very well be the case here. Would the team be regarded this high if they added Jaylen Brown and kept Paul George? Or is it the mere fact that James has been added to the fold that they’ve been catapulted to the forefront of the NBA as the best starting lineup?

All these questions and more need to be answered once the season is underway. 

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J'Mar Smith is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].