The Philadelphia 76ers have put together one of the more talented rosters in the history of the franchise with the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to join Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe. Those five will form an elite starting lineup and the Sixers also have a bench unit that figures to step up and give Philadelphia some much-needed depth.
If there is a question the Sixers must answer, it's how well they will defend. Typically, teams that seriously contend for championships will be among the top teams in the league in defensive rating. The Sixers ranked 16th in defensive rating in 2025-26 and gave up a lot of open looks for teams to convert on.
Per ESPN, the Sixers allowed a shot quality of 55.8% in the 2025-26 season. That
was the sixth-highest shot quality allowed behind five teams that were openly tanking. Therefore, Philadelphia will have questions defensively heading into the new season. Especially, when looking at the makeup of the roster.
James, as brilliant as he has been on both ends in his career, is entering year No. 24 and will turn 42 in December. While he continues to be highly productive, he is not the same lockdown defender as he once was. Embiid has been slowed defensively due to the injuries he's had to endure, and while Maxey has made strides on that end, he isn't a lockdown defender in the slightest.
There is little reason to question whether the Sixers will be great offensively. There are too many weapons not to be one of the better offensive attacks in the league. Guys like James, Brown, Maxey, Embiid, and Edgecombe will be incredibly tough to stop. The biggest question is on that defensive end, which will be the big key to any type of contention in the upcoming season. Brown and Dean Wade, another new addition, will be key to Philadelphia's defensive unit.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Can Sixers defend well enough to succeed in the 2026-27 season?
