RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Philadelphia 76ers have no shortage of scoring after adding LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a core featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Their more complicated challenge involves deciding who will organize an offense filled with players accustomed to controlling the ball.
Draymond Green believes the answer must be James.
“He’s going to have to play the point to get everybody involved,” Green said on “The Draymond Green Show.”
Green’s position closely matches Philadelphia’s reported plan. ESPN’s Shams Charania said the Sixers expect James to spend significant time initiating Nick Nurse’s offense, allowing Maxey to shift away from full-time point guard responsibilities, per Bleacher Report.
Green Says the 76ers Cannot Put Everything on Maxey
Green argued that asking Maxey to balance his scoring duties with the responsibility of keeping every Philadelphia star involved would place too much pressure on him.
“Like I think it’s asking a lot of Tyrese Maxey to say, ‘Yo, Maxey, you playing the point? You need to figure out to get V.J. Edgecombe involved. You need to figure out how to get Bron involved. You need to figure out how to get Jaylen Brown involved,’” Green said.
He then added Embiid to the equation.
“‘Oh, by the way, Tyrese Maxey, you also need to figure out how to get Joel Embiid involved,’” Green continued. “I don’t feel like that’s setting up Tyrese Maxey or the Philadelphia 76ers for success by doing that.”
Charania reported that Philadelphia plans to avoid that problem by placing the offense in James’ hands for extended stretches.
“The Sixers, I’m told, are expecting LeBron James to play a good amount of time and period of time at the point guard position, on offense, initiating the game, the offense, for Nick Nurse,” Charania said Monday on “NBA Today.”
That arrangement would give Maxey more chances to attack as a scorer without carrying every playmaking assignment.
“Tyrese Maxey, last season, played a lot on the ball at point guard, and we know his prowess off the ball as a scorer,” Charania said. “Think of a better player that can set the table for Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe.”
James Gives Nick Nurse a Proven Offensive Organizer
James spent more time away from the ball during his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers as Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves handled much of the creation. However, James returned to a central playmaking role during Los Angeles’ first-round victory over the Houston Rockets when Doncic did not play and Reaves missed the opening games.
Philadelphia can now place him back in that familiar role while using Maxey’s speed and scoring away from the ball.
Rich Paul also identified James’ playmaking as a major advantage for the Sixers. Paul called him the league’s best secondary creator and said James could help Maxey through pick-and-roll actions. He even suggested Nurse use Maxey as a screener, an approach that could create different matchups without forcing him to direct every possession.
Magic Johnson previously raised a similar offensive question after Philadelphia assembled its new lineup. Johnson said James, Brown, Embiid and Maxey all know how to create with the ball, leaving Nurse responsible for designing a system that keeps each star engaged.
Johnson also named defense and chemistry as Philadelphia’s two biggest questions. The Sixers still must answer both, but Green believes their offensive solution should start with a simple decision.
Let James run the show, then allow Maxey and Philadelphia’s other scorers to finish what he creates.
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