Rival NBA execs skeptical of LeBron James, star-studded Sixers

The 76ers may have won the LeBron James sweepstakes, but not everyone around the NBA is convinced they’ve built a championship team.

Philadelphia now boasts a starting group featuring James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, with VJ Edgecombe also returning after an impressive rookie season.

That’s a whole lot of talent. Some rival executives wonder if it’s too much of the same thing.

“Good luck,” one executive told Howard Beck of The Ringer. “They do not have any role players on their team now. All those guys want and need the ball. I’m not sure any will want to sacrifice.”

Another executive raised a similar concern.

“Somebody will have to check their ego at the door, and I don’t see Joel or Bron being the ones to do it,” the executive told Beck.

Fair or not, that’s probably going to be the biggest question surrounding Philadelphia until the season begins.

James chose the Sixers because he believes they offer his best opportunity to win a fifth championship. Philadelphia’s trade for Brown helped convince him of that, and James accepted a two-year, $8 million contract to make it happen.

On paper, it’s easy to understand the appeal. The Sixers have scoring, playmaking and star power everywhere. What they don’t have yet is proof that all those pieces complement one another.

Philadelphia won the offseason. Now it has to prove the skeptics wrong.