Mike Gansey pulled out all the stops to get LeBron James. His decision could benefit the franchise in more ways than one.
The pursuit for one of the greatest players to ever grace the court is something many marvel at. Star forward LeBron James was given the choice of where he wanted to play, and he chose the Philadelphia 76ers. When talking with ESPN, the Philadelphia 76ers' President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey discussed how going after James was a major priority for the team.
“Let’s try to do a full-court press,” Gansey said. “If he comes, he could be the missing piece; we could be really good.”
This could be the most honest statement he could have made.
No matter where he went, James was going to catapult that team to the top of the list. It’s easy to see why anyone would think that; just look at the track record. James has made the playoffs 19 times in his 24 years in the NBA. He’s made the Finals ten of those 19 times, winning four championships in the process.
Every team that he’s been a part of has made the Finals, and he’s never lost in the first round. For a team like Philadelphia, it can boost their confidence. James has played in 57 playoff series and won 42 of them. Since 2021, the 76ers hold a playoff record of 19-21.
With a record like that, it’s easy to see why they pushed hard to get James. Someone as successful as James when it comes to the playoffs would be a key asset in showing the team what winning basketball is. There’s more to winning than just scoring more than the other team.
It’s about how you own the game.
Sometimes a close victory tells you more about your team than a blowout win. It’s the little details that a player of James’ caliber will focus on. Philadelphia wants to have James for more than his offensive prowess. It's going to be up to him to get the rest of the team in a rhythm. LeBron ranks fourth in the NBA in assists at 12,016. It shows that he is willing to defer to his teammates to help them win. This’ll be important considering there are so many mouths to feed.
There are four all-stars in this starting lineup, and many of them are looking to get their fair share. It’s going to be up to James to make that happen. It isn’t his first rodeo playing with multiple all-stars like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. This could be used to help the team understand how to stay together if someone isn’t getting the touches they’d like. The team is going to have its fair share of lows, but having James will help them to navigate through their troubles.
With LeBron making a conscious effort to be the facilitator, it’s no doubt this team will utilize their best option on a nightly basis. You just never know which player that may be.
