EST NBA Analysis | November 6, 2026
Before the 2026–27 NBA season started, we picked the Philadelphia 76ers to win the NBA championship. We knew this team was going to be good, but even with those expectations, we didn’t think they would look this good so early.
When Philadelphia added former Finals MVP Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, whom we consider one of the three greatest basketball players ever, there was no questioning the talent. What we wondered was how long it would take everyone to figure things out.
After all, the Sixers already had Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe. Now they were adding two more stars who were used to having the ball in their hands. Somebody was going to have to sacrifice touches, and everyone would need to figure out their role.
We thought that might take a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months. Instead, Philadelphia has started 8–1, and the chemistry already looks better than we expected.
And look at who they’ve beaten. The Sixers have taken down the defending champion New York Knicks twice, beaten a Cleveland Cavaliers team that reached last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, and defeated the Detroit Pistons, who had the best record in the East last year.
That’s a pretty impressive list of wins for a team that’s only played nine games together.
The scary part? We don’t think the Sixers have even reached their best basketball yet.
LeBron James Is Settling Into His New Role
For years, LeBron was expected to do just about everything offensively. Even during his later seasons with the Lakers, he was still being asked to score 25 points a night while running the offense.
That isn’t the case anymore.
Through seven games, LeBron is averaging 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists, and he’s looked comfortable taking on more of a point-forward role.
Rather than trying to score every possession, he’s getting his teammates involved, controlling the pace and picking his spots when he wants to attack.
Against Detroit a few nights ago, LeBron finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 112–106 win. He didn’t need a huge scoring night because the Sixers had plenty of other players capable of putting the ball in the basket.
That’s what makes this situation so good for him.
At 41 years old, LeBron can still take over offensively when he needs to, but Philadelphia doesn’t have to depend on him doing it every night. Instead, he can use his basketball IQ and passing ability to make everyone around him better.
And so far, he’s doing exactly that.
Tyrese Maxey Is Still the Man When Games Get Tight
One thing we weren’t sure about before the season was how the arrival of LeBron and Brown would affect Tyrese Maxey.
Would he have to take a step back offensively? Would the Sixers look to their more experienced stars when games got close?
Well, nine games in, Maxey has answered those questions.
He’s averaging 28.0 points and 5.4 assists, leading the Sixers in scoring despite all the talent surrounding him.
But what has really stood out is how good he’s been in the fourth quarter.
Maxey is averaging roughly 11 points in the final quarter alone, and he also leads our EST NBA Takeover Rate Tracker.
When Philadelphia needs someone to get a basket late in a game, Maxey has been the guy they’ve turned to.
His speed makes him incredibly difficult to stay in front of, and defenders can’t simply back off because he’s more than capable of knocking down outside shots.
Having LeBron, Brown and Embiid alongside him only makes things harder for opposing defenses. They can’t throw everyone at Maxey without leaving another dangerous scorer open.
We expected Maxey to be a big part of this team, but seeing him remain the leading scorer and establish himself as the closer has been great to watch.
Joel Embiid Looks Healthy, and That’s Huge for Philadelphia
Another thing we’ve noticed is how much better Joel Embiid looks physically.
He came into the season noticeably slimmer, and after all the injury problems he’s dealt with over the years, seeing him healthy and contributing has been a welcome sight.
Through seven games, Embiid is averaging 19.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
Those aren’t the massive scoring numbers we became used to during his MVP years, but he doesn’t need to put up 30 points every night anymore.
With Maxey, Brown and LeBron around him, Embiid can focus on getting good looks, controlling the paint and taking advantage of mismatches rather than having to carry the offense.
And when the Sixers do need a big performance from him, he’s still capable of delivering.
Against Detroit, Embiid finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds, showing that he can still dominate inside.
For us, the biggest question with Embiid has never been his talent. We know how good he is. It’s whether he can stay healthy when the playoffs arrive.
If he can, Philadelphia becomes an incredibly difficult team to deal with.
Jaylen Brown Has Fit Right In
Jaylen Brown was one of Philadelphia’s biggest additions during the offseason, and so far, he’s been everything the Sixers could have hoped for.
The former Finals MVP is averaging 21.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists, while shooting 44.4% from three-point range.
He’s already had several impressive performances, but his recent game against Detroit was a perfect example of what he brings to this team.
Brown finished with 30 points, scoring 23 in the first half as Philadelphia built its lead.
And when the Pistons started fighting back late, he made a huge defensive play, blocking Cade Cunningham’s three-point attempt in the final minute.
That’s the beauty of having Brown on this roster.
He can go out and score 30 when his team needs him to, but he can also make a difference defensively and doesn’t have to be the main offensive option every night.
Some nights it’ll be Maxey, others it’ll be Embiid, and sometimes Brown will be the one who gets hot.
Having that many options is a pretty nice problem for Nick Nurse to have.
VJ Edgecombe and Anfernee Simons Are Doing Their Part
Not everyone on this team was going to have the same role they had last season, and VJ Edgecombe is probably the best example.
After a strong rookie year, Edgecombe entered his second season knowing things were going to be different. With LeBron and Brown joining the team, there simply weren’t going to be as many shots available.
But rather than trying to force his way into the offense, Edgecombe has done a good job finding his place.
He’s averaging 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and his rebounding has been particularly impressive for a guard.
There will be nights when he doesn’t get many scoring opportunities, but he can still help the Sixers win by defending, rebounding and making the most of the chances he gets.
For a young player, learning how to play alongside this much talent should only help his development.
Anfernee Simons has also been a nice addition off the bench.
He’s averaging 10.0 points while shooting 39.3% from three, giving Philadelphia another player who can come in and knock down shots.
With so much attention going toward the starting lineup, it’s easy to overlook these contributions. But the Sixers are going to need their supporting cast throughout the season, and both players have done a good job so far.
The Biggest Surprise Has Been the Defense
Now, here’s what has surprised us more than anything else about this Sixers team.
It’s not the offense.
With Maxey, Brown, Embiid and LeBron, we expected Philadelphia to score plenty of points. There was never much doubt about that.
What we didn’t expect was for the Sixers to be this good defensively, this quickly.
Nick Nurse has always been a defensive-minded coach, and you can already see that mentality throughout the team.
Philadelphia ranks second in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 105.2 points per game. Opponents are shooting just 43.5% from the field and 31.8% from three.
Those are excellent numbers, especially for a team that has undergone so many changes.
But one player who has really caught our attention defensively is LeBron James.
At 41 years old, LeBron is playing some of the best defense we’ve seen from him in years.
During his later years in Cleveland and Los Angeles, he had so much responsibility offensively that he couldn’t always give the same energy on defense.
Now he doesn’t have to worry about scoring 25 or 30 points every night, and we’re seeing the difference.
With Maxey, Brown and Embiid handling much of the scoring, LeBron can put more energy into guarding his man, contesting shots and helping the team defensively.
And the numbers have been outstanding.
Opponents are shooting just 27.5% on shots actively contested by LeBron, the lowest reported opponent field-goal percentage in the NBA so far this season.
That’s an incredible early-season number for someone playing his 24th NBA season, even with the small sample size.
It doesn’t stop there, either. Philadelphia’s main starting lineup has posted a 95.4 defensive rating, meaning opponents are scoring just 95.4 points per 100 possessions against that group.
When you combine that kind of defense with the amount of offensive talent Philadelphia has, it’s easy to understand why the Sixers have been so difficult to beat.
And if they can keep defending at anything close to this level, they’re going to be a serious problem for the rest of the league.
The Sixers Are 8–1, but There’s Still Room to Get Better
Here’s another reason we’re so excited about Philadelphia.
We don’t think they’ve fully figured everything out yet.
Right now, the offense often depends on who’s having the best night. Sometimes it’s Maxey taking over, other nights Brown gets hot, and sometimes Embiid is the one doing most of the damage.
Coach Nick Nurse has done a great job bringing everything together, but you can still see moments when the team is figuring out where everyone should be and who should have the ball.
And that’s perfectly understandable. These guys have only played nine games together.
As the season goes on, we expect the ball movement to improve and the players to become more comfortable with one another.
They’ll learn when to cut, when to move the ball, where their teammates like to get their shots and how to create easier opportunities without relying so much on individual talent.
Of course, there will be tough stretches. The Sixers aren’t going to win every game, and there will be nights when the offense struggles or injuries become an issue.
They’ve also played quite a few close games, and eventually they’ll need to start putting teams away earlier rather than relying on fourth-quarter performances to finish the job.
But those are things that can improve with time.
If this is what Philadelphia looks like while still figuring things out, imagine how good they could be after another 30 or 40 games together.
The Rest of the NBA Has Been Put on Notice
We picked the Philadelphia 76ers to win the NBA championship before the season started, and after watching their first nine games, we’re feeling even better about that prediction.
What has impressed us most isn’t just the 8–1 record. It’s how quickly everyone has adjusted and how well this team has defended.
Maxey has remained the leading scorer and closer, LeBron has embraced being the facilitator, Brown has given Philadelphia another reliable scorer, and Embiid looks healthier while no longer having to carry the offense every night.
Edgecombe and Simons have also found ways to contribute, while Nick Nurse has this team playing some of the best defense in basketball.
And let’s not forget who they’ve beaten. Two wins over the defending champion Knicks, a victory against Cleveland and a win over Detroit after losing to them earlier in the season.
That’s an impressive start by any standard.
Right now, we believe Philadelphia is the best team in the Eastern Conference and has a legitimate argument for being the best team in the NBA.
There’s a long way to go, and we know things won’t always look this good. Every team goes through rough stretches during an 82-game season.
But if the Sixers stay healthy and continue improving their chemistry, we see no reason why they can’t finish the season lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
We expected Philadelphia to be a championship contender.
Nine games in, they’ve already exceeded those expectations.
And the scary part for the rest of the NBA is that they might only be getting started.
What has surprised you most about Philadelphia’s 8–1 start? Is it LeBron’s defense, Maxey’s fourth-quarter scoring or how quickly the team has come together? Share your thoughts, and follow Ethical Sports Takes for more NBA analysis, recaps and coverage throughout the 2026–27 season.
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