The Philadelphia 76ers have become the darling pick of the offseason given the additions they made.

After finishing as the seventh seed, but coming back down 3-1 and upsetting the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, the 76ers made big splashes in the offseason, acquiring two All-Star-caliber players.

First, they traded Paul George and draft picks in exchange for Jaylen Brown, who was an MVP candidate throughout last season with Jayson Tatum sidelined.

The feather in their cap was signing LeBron James, who wanted to play competitive basketball and viewed the 76ers as a golden opportunity to try to get one more championship.

A starting lineup of Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, LeBron, and Joel Embiid is already viewed as one of the best five-man units in the league despite not playing a minute together.

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown knows that his team is going to be hearing plenty about the 76ers this season, and he believes that chatter is well-deserved.

Brown said their roster is loaded with multiple-time All-Stars and MVP players. Brown called them a “deep” and “talented” team, and gave credit to Nick Nurse, who is a championship winning coach.

He said that they are definitely a contender in the East, and it got harder for everyone with the team they have assembled.

The Knicks saw the 76ers in the preseason, though LeBron, Maxey, and Embiid didn’t play. The Knicks, who did play their five starters- Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns- didn’t look great from start to finish, especially from the middle of the second quarter on, but it was only preseason.

Fans will see how the Knicks truly stack up against the 76ers on opening night when the Knicks hang their 2026 NBA Championship banner.

It’s important to remember that as good as the 76ers look on paper, team chemistry is a real thing, and getting reps is a real thing as well. The Knicks are battle-tested as a team, not just individually.

The 76ers haven’t been through those battles together, and there are concerns about their overall depth, as they don’t have much proven talent beyond Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade.

There is no doubt that the Sixers will be one of the better teams in the league, and by the end of the season they could be the best team in the East, but the reigning champions should be given the respect they have earned.