LeBron & Embiid Called 'Slow and Old' by NBA Coach, May 'Be Hard to Watch' 76ers Duo

One assistant coach has some doubts about how LeBron James and Joel Embiid can fit together on the Philadelphia 76ers, per comments made to Mark Medina for Fadeaway World.

"It's scary. It can be unstoppable. Or it can be hard to watch," the unnamed coach told Medina.

"They're both slow and old. When you get tired and you drain the clock and are methodical and just isoing with brute force when you're not young, spry and athletic, that can look awful. Everyone is just standing around. And then you end up falling down because you're old."

The quotes were part of an article published Wednesday featuring three assistant coaches sharing their thoughts with Medina about James' addition on the 76ers might work out.

The aforementioned coach seems to have doubts.

"I'm shocked," the coach said when asked about their reaction to James joining the 76ers. "He's already experienced teaming up with talent before. But it's a real risky move as far as trying to get Maxey, Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, Embiid and himself to co-exist and be on the same page. This isn't fantasy basketball. It's not that easy. He knows that."

The 41-year-old James signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the 76ers. The four-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA champion just played eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 20.9 points on 51.5 percent shooting, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game last year.

James is still clearly productive despite playing into his 40s and well into his third NBA decade. He now joins a 76ers team that looked to be a strong Eastern Conference contender even without him after trading for Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

Now James is aboard after signing in town.

The other coaches seemed to be a bit more optimistic about this working out. Of note, the third coach had this to say, in part, while acknowledging the uncertainty of the situation.

"Any team that LeBron joins get better. He'll help them. But anytime you start mixing different players, there is always uncertainty. There are teams that have been really good in the past that didn't meet expectations. Then there are some that have. So this is a 'TBD' situation. But you would rather take the talent. LeBron makes the Sixers better. He makes any team better automatically."

Ultimately, there is a big question mark as far as mixing James in, but he's still one of the greatest players of all time. He's also been a chameleon over time as far as his ability to adapt to his surroundings and perform different roles.

Last year, for example, James was essentially the third scoring option behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. However, when both players suffered late in the season, James became the team's top scorer and distributor, especially in the playoffs en route to leading L.A. to a first-round playoff series win over the Houston Rockets.

Now James has a new challenge in Philadelphia as the 76ers seek their first Eastern Conference title since 2001 and first NBA championship since 1983. James can certainly help the 76ers get there.