LeBron James' Role with 76ers Revealed in New NBA Rumors After Linking with Maxey, Brown, Embiid

Point guard LeBron James could be returning for the 2026-27 campaign.

After signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, James is expected to take on primary ball-handling duties, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

"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. "Tyrese Maxey, last season, played a lot on the ball at point guard, and we know his prowess off the ball as a scorer. Think of a better player that can set the table for Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe. There's all these players that can score, that can get the ball from LeBron James."

While James has spent most of his career at forward, he's one of the best facilitators the league has ever seen, sitting in fourth place on the NBA's all-time assists list.

During the 2019-20 season, James spent the majority of the year at point guard and led the league in assists with 10.2 per game. He's averaged more than seven assists per game in each of the last three seasons.

If James assumed his usual role at small forward or power forward, things perhaps would get a bit clogged in the lane since Jaylen Brown does most of his work slashing towards the basket and in the mid-range.

Instead, James will be able to find a cutting Brown while also having Embiid in the paint and Maxey on the wing. That's likely the ideal situation for the 41-year-old James, who is hoping to make an impact on offense without taking on his usual wear-and-tear.

The exact lineup the Sixers will go with remains unclear.

They could opt for a lineup of James at point guard, Maxey at shooting guard, Brown at small forward, Dean Wade at power forward and Embiid at the center. Another variation could slide Brown to the 4 and Maxey to shooting guard, with VJ Edgecombe entering the lineup at small forward.

Edgecombe had an outstanding rookie year and figures to be a starter this year, but Nick Nurse might have to get creative with his lineups.

Regardless of what rotation the Sixers go to, they have a championship-caliber roster with the addition of James and should be a favorite to win it all this year.