76ers led by LeBron James & Jaylen Brown have big NBA championship road block, ESPN says

Teams that win the Larry O'Brien trophy shouldn't just be good on paper; they need on-court chemistry to be truly daunting. The Philadelphia 76ers might bear this same problem. Sure, LeBron James and Jaylen Brown are big-time additions to a squad that already has Tyrese Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. However, they might not be up to par with other teams just yet; just ask ESPN and their Summer Forecast.

ESPN projects major James, Brown, and 76ers NBA championship roadblock

The 76ers are surprisingly not projected to be the top team in the Eastern Conference in ESPN's Summer Forecast. They are far from it. In fact, despite having LeBron James and Jaylen Brown on the squad, the 76ers aren't even ranked in the top three.

The projection for the Eastern Conference standings is:

Typically, people expect the 76ers to be at the top of the Eastern Conference ladder alongside the Knicks. Some may even say that they deserve the top spot given how loaded they are in each position. Their backcourt has Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe; their forwards are James and Brown; and the man holding it all in the middle is Joel Embiid, who is just three years removed from his NBA campaign.

However, two externalities worry ESPN pundits when it comes to the 76ers. It all comes down to their players' health and how they mesh on the court.

"Philadelphia, after trading for Jaylen Brown and signing LeBron James, enjoyed the greatest infusion of talent the conference has seen since James left Miami for his second stint with Cleveland over a decade ago. Health and cohesion will be among Philly's biggest concerns, but the 76ers have by far the biggest upside of any team in the East," they wrote.

One concern for the 76ers is their ability to stay on the court together. Embiid is currently dealing with a strained right oblique, which might be a point of worry when the season starts. James also dealt with a left elbow contusion and a recurring foot injury through the 2026 NBA postseason. Brown also dealt with left Achilles tendinitis, which caused him to miss a few games in April 2026.

While this 76ers team is great on paper, Coach Nick Nurse will face the tough challenge of managing the load of their new stars. Not to mention, he also has to fix the rotation, so guys like Maxey, Edgecombe, and Labaron Philon can keep developing.

If they address these concerns, the 76ers could even get more than 50 wins in the regular season. Heck, a Larry O'Brien trophy might even await them when the postseason rolls around.

More 76ers News:

• 76ers All-Star links up with teammates for offseason workout

• Former All-Star tackles the 'not enough basketballs to go around' narrative with the 76ers

• V.J. Edgecombe is ready to embrace any role he is given in the new-look 76ers system