Over the summer, the 76ers assembled one of the most fascinating rosters in recent NBA memory. In nearly every offseason, a trade for Jaylen Brown or signing LeBron James would be the landmark moment around which everything else is centered. But Philadelphia added both to a roster already featuring a ball-dominant, star guard and a former MVP center. For months leading up to the season, the team construction made for an easy subject of analysis.

How would this work? What would the product look like? How much time will it take for everyone to learn how to play with one another? Who would get the ball when they absolutely needed a bucket? Would the defense hold up?

After spending countless hours asking such questions, we finally got some answers in the first week of the 2026–27 NBA season. Philly opened the campaign with an opening night matchup against the Knicks on ring night and have played five games in total through Thursday. While the Jaylen Brown-Jayson Tatum drama has drawn some attention away from the on-court product, it’s fair to say the Sixers are as interesting as we anticipated and should continue to be a compelling watch as the season goes on.

What the numbers say about the 76ers after five games

In the big picture, the 76ers have absolutely hit the ground running—which is something of a surprise. It is not shocking that a roster overflowing with talent is finding success. But every “superteam” assembled this century has needed a bit of time to really mesh. Given the NBA at large is as competitive as ever, it was fair to wonder if Philly would stumble in the win column as the team found its footing before racking up the Ws later on.

It turns out that was a false presumption. The Sixers have gone 4-1 to start the year, highlighted by an upset win over New York on banner night at Madison Square Garden and a ludicrous 29-point comeback win over the Cavaliers in their Philadelphia home opener. There have been some very impressive stretches of play from the heralded starting five, which boasts a +15 point differential in 47 total minutes so far. It’s also notable these wins have come despite injuries plaguing the bench; key reserve Dean Wade missed the first two games while backup center Adem Bona was brought along slowly to start after missing all of preseason.

Three players (Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Brown) are averaging north of 20 points per night so far, with Maxey leading the pack at 28.4. James is assuming the conductor role widely expected with a team-high 6.8 assists per night. Embiid is showing a renewed focus on crashing the glass, pulling 10 rebounds per game thus far (which would be his highest mark since 2023–24).

It hasn’t been an overwhelming display of dominance, though. Philadelphia ranks third in defensive rating over its first five games, which is something of a surprise given that seemed like the end that would need the most work. Conversely, the offense ranks 25th despite the obvious skill the roster enjoys. As a result, while the Sixers have gone 4-1, their average margin of victory is only 3.4 points. Wins are wins, though!

Maybe we should have expected something like this given Maxey, Brown and James are all elite clutch time shot-makers. If the score is tight down the stretch, it’s tough to bet against them. Even if the product at large still has some warts.

Beyond the numbers, this opening stretch of games has revealed two truths about this Philly team—one expected, and one not so much.

Maxey is the clear No. 1 option

Maxey is an incredibly talented scorer, but entering the year it wasn’t obvious whether he’d be the clear-cut No. 1 option or if he’d share touches equally with everyone else. So far, it’s turned out to be the former. Maxey is not only leading his star teammates in points, he’s also taking more shots per night (21.2) than anyone in Philly and boasts the highest usage percentage on the team. There are plenty of touches to go around with how many possessions take place in a modern NBA game. But the pecking order is obvious: Maxey gets first crack and everything trickles down from there.

That’s how it should be. Even when Embiid was playing at an MVP level he was best playing off James Harden in pick-and-roll actions. Brown is entirely capable of racking up points when his shot is falling but Maxey is simply better. James doesn’t need or want to be that guy anymore. Maxey’s electrifying speed is a unique weapon and his three-level scoring is on par with the best bucket-getters in the league today. None of this is a revelation in a vacuum but entering the year it was a question as to whether the star guard might have to share the ball to satisfy egos—or, at least, help everyone get settled into the new environment.

Instead, Maxey is reminding everyone the NBA is a meritocracy at its heart. He is the best scorer on the roster and so he is the top dog when it comes to the offensive side of the ball. It seems his teammates are happy to recognize that, too. After scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over the Pacers, Maxey revealed his star cohorts all demanded he take control and drive the team to victory.

“(Brown, Embiid and James) kind of got on me, me not being aggressive the first three quarters,” Maxey said following the win. “When (Brown) checked back in the game in the 4th quarter, he said, ‘You owe us. Take us home.’ I just gotta do what my vets tell me to do.”

It’s the best example so far of the starting five’s willingness to embrace “sacrifice” the way they consistently stated they would during training camp. It also reflects the reality that Maxey is at the center of the solar system offensively.

LeBron looks his age

The other truth is more in line with expectations: LeBron James has looked his age more often than ever.

That’s a relative statement, to be extremely clear. If James actually looked like a normal 41-year-old on the court, he’d be at home watching Philadelphia on television. But after years of seemingly ignoring Father Time, the eye test suggests James is indeed in the final seasons of his career. He’s picking when to exert energy more carefully than ever, is scoring fewer points per game (15.5) than at any point in his NBA life so far and his usage percentage has plummeted compared to last year.

It’s what everyone figured would happen when he agreed to join the Sixers in free agency, even though he proved capable of being a playoff-winning No. 1 option with the Lakers last season. It’s still somewhat jarring to see James hang out in the corner for multiple offensive possessions in a row, or get emphatically swatted in transition by a two-way player named Jalen Slawson.

JALEN SLAWSON CHASEDOWN BLOCK 😤 pic.twitter.com/OMB0kg8squ

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 28, 2026

What LeBron has given so far, though, is just what the 76ers have needed. He’s great at organizing the offense and getting everyone running after opponents miss shots. His basketball IQ still shines defensively and his clutch gene remains intact. Philly has plenty of talent to do the heavy lifting; James can afford to pick his spots, which is probably a big part of the reason why he signed up in the first place.

How everything shakes out, from James’s minimized role to Maxey’s place atop the scoring hierarchy, will be something to watch once adversity hits. But for now the Sixers are figuring out how to play with one another while winning games at the same time.

The season couldn’t be off to a better start in Philadelphia through that lens. And what other lens matters?

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