Philadelphia — A veteran NBA assistant coach doubts whether newly signed forward LeBron James and reigning MVP center Joel Embiid can seamlessly share the floor for the Philadelphia 76ers, calling the potential pairing “hard to watch” despite its star power.
Speaking with Mark Medina of Fadeaway World, the unnamed coach said the combination of James’s age and Embiid’s deliberate style could slow Philadelphia’s offense.
“It’s scary. It can be unstoppable. Or it can be hard to watch,” the assistant coach told Medina. “They’re both slow and old. When you get tired and you drain the clock and are methodical and just isoing with brute force when you’re not young, spry and athletic, that can look awful.”
The coach also admitted surprise that James chose Philadelphia in free agency, noting the difficulty of blending him with Embiid, guard Tyrese Maxey, newly acquired swingman Jaylen Brown and rookie guard V.J. Edgecombe. “This isn’t fantasy basketball,” the coach said. “It’s not that easy.”
Not everyone interviewed shared that skepticism. A second assistant coach argued James “makes the Sixers better… He makes any team better automatically,” while acknowledging that multiple stars must adjust their roles.
Philadelphia reshaped its roster this offseason by trading for Brown and then signing the 41-year-old James, setting up what many expect to be one of the NBA’s most talented starting units when the 2026-27 season begins.
Source: Hoops Wire
