LeBron James won’t need to be Superman with 76ers, and that’s the point

For most of LeBron James‘ career, joining his team meant accepting one basic reality.

Namely, everything revolved around LeBron. The ball. The offense. The expectations. And, more often than not, the championship hopes. Philadelphia could be different.

James has agreed to join a 76ers roster featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe. According to The Athletic, James chose Philadelphia because he believes it gives him his best opportunity to win a fifth championship.

Looking at the roster, it’s easy to understand why. For perhaps the first time in his 24-year NBA career, the best thing James can do for his new team might be less.

That’s not an insult. At 41 years old, it may be exactly what James has been searching for.

The Sixers don’t need him to score 30 every night. They don’t need him dominating the ball for 38 minutes. They don’t need him dragging an offense through January and February just to make sure they’re positioned for the playoffs.

They have other people for that now. Embiid remains one of basketball’s most dominant offensive players when healthy. Maxey is an All-Star-level scorer who can create with the ball or operate without it. Brown is coming off another All-NBA season. And Edgecombe established himself as one of the league’s top young players as a rookie.

So where does LeBron fit? Pretty much wherever he wants.

LeBron’s role could look different

The Athletic reports that James is expected to start at power forward, opposite Brown. But we’ve watched LeBron long enough to know that putting a traditional position next to his name doesn’t mean much.

He’ll handle the ball. He’ll initiate offense. He’ll post up. He’ll facilitate. He’ll rebound. There will undoubtedly be nights when he decides it’s time to take over and reminds everyone that, yes, he’s still LeBron James.

The difference is Philadelphia shouldn’t need those nights nearly as often. That’s important after what James said when the Lakers’ season ended.

“I was put into some positions I never played in my career,” James said. “I’ve never been a third option in my life.”

Well, perhaps he’s about to become something resembling one now. The difference is that this time, he chose it.

James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds last season while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. Those are still terrific numbers, especially for someone who turns 42 in December.

But the Sixers shouldn’t care if those numbers decrease. If James averages fewer points because Brown and Maxey are rolling, great. If he takes fewer shots because Embiid is dominating inside, even better. If coach Nick Nurse can shave some minutes off James’ workload and occasionally give him a night off, that’s probably part of the plan, too.

Philadelphia isn’t signing James for a Tuesday night in Memphis in January. It’s signing him for May and June.

Sixers can make LeBron’s life easier, too

There is another side to this. Basically, James may not have to work nearly as hard to get what he wants offensively.

Defenses can’t simply load up on him when Embiid, Brown and Maxey are sharing the floor. Maxey’s ability to play without the ball should allow James to serve as a point forward when Nurse wants him initiating the offense.

And James remains one of the smartest passers the game has seen. Give him this many weapons and tell him to find the open guy? He might enjoy that quite a bit.

Embiid’s health remains the giant variable, of course. If he’s unavailable for an extended stretch, everyone else’s responsibilities increase, including LeBron’s.

But if Philadelphia’s stars remain reasonably healthy, James shouldn’t need to carry anything. He can simply contribute. Maybe that’s the real appeal here.

James said when announcing his decision that he still wants to “sacrifice,” “work,” “grind” and compete for another championship. Philadelphia gives him the opportunity to do those things without asking him to save the franchise every night.

For most of his career, LeBron James was Superman because his teams needed him to be. The 76ers don’t, and at this stage of his career, that may be precisely why he picked them.

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