The moment the 76ers won the highly vaunted bidding war for LeBron James, a lot of fans and pundits alike took note of the fact that the team could be less than the sum of its parts due to there only being one ball to go around their plethora of stars. Well, those concerns appear to have already been quelled by the mentality shift in this group, which is best exemplified by LeBron James and his sacrifices with his new ball club.
Tyrese Maxey recently said that James has made the 76ers willing passers, which takes care of the common ego problems that typically derail star-studded crews like theirs. Both the numbers and the early eye test back that notion up. Right now, Philadelphia has made major strides when it comes to moving the ball with LeBron as their primary table-setter.
The 76ers are moving the ball more with LeBron James leading the way
As of writing, the 76ers are averaging 26.1 assists per game, which is a serious leap from last season when they tallied 24.6 a night (which was the second-lowest mark among all teams). While that figure is middling compared to the rest of the league, it nevertheless signals a major shift in philosophy thanks to James.
Teams with numerous stars like the 76ers typically deploy a scoring attack predicated on letting each other cook. However, Philly is veering away from that mold. LeBron has sacrificed his shots to focus more on his role as the primary playmaker for the group, but as Maxey noted, his selflessness has percolated into the team's DNA.
James leads Philly in assists with 7.4 dimes a night. Maxey follows him with 5.4 assists per outing with Joel Embiid also contributing 4.4 per game. Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe –– not exactly known for their passing –– have also been very willing passers, registering 3.9 and three assists per contest, respectively.
The 76ers' stars have taken their individual brilliance and collectively turned it into a beautiful medley of selfless basketball. While the team has a middling offense right now, sharing the basketball has been ingrained in their system.
LeBron has more gravitas than anyone in the league, yet he has been very comfortable and content deferring to his other teammates while he creates shot for others. Right now, he is averaging just 15.7 points per game, which is easily a career low.
This is one of the most immediate impacts of James playing for Philly. He is definitely leading the crusade for the 76ers to escape the ego chamber, but as selfless as he is, he will most likely deflect the credit for such. After all, this group already embodies what it truly means to be a team.
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