Philadelphia 76ers: Does LeBron James actually fit with Ben Simmons?

After watching Lebron James dismantle the Philadelphia 76ers at home it’s worth wondering if the King could actually play well alongside Ben Simmons.

Philly loves high profile free agents, and Philadelphia 76ers fans have set their sights on arguably one of the best impending free agents of all time, Cleveland Cavaliers great LeBron James.

And after watching James dismantle the Sixers to the tune of 30-points, 13-rebounds, and seven assists in their most recent game, it’s no wonder why.

James has been the undisputed best players in the NBA for the last 14-years, winning numerous championships, MVPs and has been named an All-Star in 13-consecutive seasons. He’s single-handedly made Cleveland a relevant free agent location and highlighted a Miami Heat team that revolutionized the league.

And after this season, he will be a free agent.

While James has been a free agent before, numerous times in fact, all indications point to the King actually looking to move on from the team he built and forge a new path to the championship. Even though he’s been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers for obvious promotional reasons, one of his potential landing points that’s been gaining a fair bit of steam is the City of Brotherly Love.

The 76ers may not one of the league’s marquee franchises, like say the Lakers, Bulls or Celtics, they are a team with a lot of untapped potential, with a plethora of assets, major salary cap flexibility, and fans who live or die by their team’s performances.

Simply put, Lebron could be the king of Philadelphia if he chose to grace the city with his presence, but would he actually fit alongside the team’s young core?

Now it’s become totally obvious that virtually any player can play alongside Joel Embiid and he’ll still score 20-plus points and pull in double-digit rebounds with relative ease, but how would James fit in alongside a player who many feel possesses roughly his same skillset, rookie phenom Ben Simmons?

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Who gets the ball?

A hallmark of both Simmons and James’ games are an affinity for having the ball in their hands.

A lot.

Currently, James and Simmons both rank in the top-10 in time of possession in the NBA, with both players possessing the ball for roughly seven-minutes each night. While this doesn’t seem like a lot of time, when you consider that roughly half of either players 36-minutes of action per night are on the defensive side of the ball, and other players actually have to possess the ball to like shoot it, seven minutes is actually a long time.

If James and Simmons were to share the court for extended periods of time, it would be essential for Brett Brown to find a way to make both players happy and run a number of plays that give either player their fair share of one-on-one opportunities.

With the 76ers currently leading the league with an incredibly 352.4-passes per-game, it’s entirely possible that they each could operate with a pair of primary ball handlers, as opposed to one traditional point guard, and still maintain their effectiveness on the offensive side of the court.

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Position fluctuation?

Another question that could arise if James were to join the 76ers would be who would play what position exactly?

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Even though the 76ers currently don’t field the most convenient starting five, what with the presence of a 6-foot-10 point guard, how would their already unique defensive alignments have to change to accommodate another 6-foot-8 forward?

Sure, the team could obviously move second-year forward Dario Saric to the bench and have Robert Covington and James form arguably the most formidable forward tandem in the NBA, but how would that affect the team’s defensive alignments?

While Simmons is listed as a point guard and does run the show on the offensive side of the offensive side of the ball more often than not, he very rarely covers point guards on the defensive side of the ball.

As evidenced by his impeccable rebounding numbers, Simmons often finds himself under the basket, facing off against players of his same size, with shooting guard J.J. Redick often taking on the point guard, and Covington facing off against the team’s best outside shooter. And while Redick has shown that he is more than just a sharpshooter from the outside, he’s not going to make anyone forget about Chris Paul anytime soon.

James is obviously one of the best defenders in the league, finishing last season as the eighth best defensive small forward by ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus, but moving him into the small forward position would then force Brown and company to move Covington, the leagues best defensive small forward, to power forward. Adding a player like James to a unit that not only has the best defensive small forward in the league, but also the best defensive point guard (Simmons) and the fourth best defensive center in the league is a good problem to have.

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Would LeBron James be a good fit with the Philadelphia 76ers?

This is a tough one….

But seriously, if you can add one of the best players in NBA to a roster that’s already brimming with young, hungry talent, why on earth would you pass that up?

The 76ers have the money to make the move, should James be interested, and would likely be able to do so without disrupting their already established core. Of the players currently on the roster only four, Nik Stauskas, Jahlil Okafor, Amir Johnson and J.J. Redick are on expiring contracts, and other than the former Duke sharpshooter, it’s unlikely that the team would be willing to commit to any of these players long-term.

Adding James to the 76ers starting five, assuming Redick follows through on his intentions of finishing his career in Philly, would likely send Saric to the bench, and have James and Covington split up the forward positions. While this is an obvious upgrade over their current alignment, it would also give the team’s second unit a major upgrade as well. Fielding a second unit highlighted by young, talented players like T.J. McConnell, Markelle Fultz, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Justin Anderson, Saric and Richaun Holmes, would give the team endless energy off of the bench, and ensure that the team’s intensity doesn’t slack off when the second team enters the game.

Even though it isn’t a perfect fit, adding a player of James’ pedigree instantly makes any team better, and would easily catapult the team into the league’s upper echelon.

James’ addition would also make Philadelphia a new hotbed for free agents eager to forgo a big money deal for a chance at winning a ring. Being able to add an experienced vet in the vain of Dwyane Wade, Jeff Green or Andre Iguodala to an already loaded team could provide the 76ers young core with yet another grizzled veteran presence from which to learn how to win from.

While some may say that adding the best player on earth to a homegrown team could cheapen any championships they win, like when the Golden State Warriors added Kevin Durant, it’s become a nessicary evil for any time willing to risk it all for a shot at greatness.

Next: Results of 76ers, Cavaliers proves it’s way too early to compare James and Simmons

If the Philadelphia 76ers have a chance to add LeBron James to their roster this offseason, they should do it without question, and quickly watch the wins roll in.