Tyrese Maxey Says 76ers Players Can't Have an 'Ego' After LeBron James Contract, Jaylen Brown Trade

After significant changes that brought in Jaylen Brown and LeBron James, the Philadelphia 76ers will start the 2026-27 season trying to figure out how the new pieces fit in with the already-established players on the roster.

Speaking to Sam Yip of HoopsHype about the offseason acquisitions, Sixers star Tyrese Maxey explained the most important thing for all of them is not having any "ego" that gets in the way of what they want to collectively accomplish:

"I think the biggest thing is we can't have anybody, nobody on this team can have an ego. We have two guys that have won regular-season MVPs, two guys that have won Finals MVPs, multiple gold medal winners on this team, multiple 25-plus points per game, All-Stars, All-NBA. We're all pretty accomplished. So the ego has to drop and you have to do it collectively."

Amid all of the justified excitement in Philadelphia about Brown and James came questions of how a team with four ball-dominant players would have enough touches to keep them all involved and maximize their skill sets.

There is also the need for VJ Edgecombe to get more opportunities as he tries to build on a strong rookie season into a potential All-Star after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Maxey and Brown both averaged more than 21 field-goal attempts per game last season. Joel Embiid has averaged at least 18 field-goal attempts per game in four of the last five seasons.

James got acclimated to sacrificing offensive production last season with the Los Angeles Lakers with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves as the primary scoring engines.

76ers general manager Mike Gansey explained the issue of touches as a positive because it means on "any given night, anyone can be the guy."

It's a task that head coach Nick Nurse and his staff will have to figure out, but there is also going to be a feeling-out process early in the season while Maxey, Brown, James, Edgecombe and Joel Embiid figure out how to play together.

The depth of star talent also allows the Sixers to ease the burden on players like James and Embiid given the former's age and latter's injury history. Keeping everyone healthy and at close to peak form by the time the playoffs come around is the most critical thing for Philadelphia in 2026-27.