Why the 2026-27 Sixers Are the Best Team of the Joel Embiid Era on Paper

The Sixers have tried nearly everything throughout the past eight years, between Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Paul George and constant moving parts within the rotation. But Philadelphia just can't get past the conference semifinals for one reason or another.

So, Mike Gansey went all in—no maintaining salary-cap flexibility, no gap year— to construct a nucleus that is closer to winning the Finals than anything fans have seen since 2000-01. A lot of variables are in play, from injuries to ironing out the fit between Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James and VJ Edgecombe.

.@ShamsCharania reports the Philadelphia 76ers are planning on LeBron James playing some time at the point guard position 👀 pic.twitter.com/s5LeiAqzb1
— ESPN (@espn) July 27, 2026

But I will confidently say this is the best team Embiid has been a part of by a mile—on paper. To support the claim, let’s dive into previous iterations of the Sixers that were poised to compete for the title.

2018-19

The 2018-19 Sixers are the emotional pinnacle for some fans, with the roster being headlined by Embiid, Butler, Ben Simmons, JJ Redick and Tobias Harris. The only issue was that that was as deep as they got.

Philadelphia sacrificed Robert Covington and Dario Šarić to net Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves and parted with Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala to land Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers. This led to Philadelphia’s most productive reserve in the postseason being James Ennis III, who led the bench in scoring with 7.5 points per game.

There were cult heroes like Mike Scott, Boban Marjanović and TJ McConnell, but none truly moved the needle. McConnell was not yet the steady guard he is for the Indiana Pacers and the Sixers’ main backup centers were Marjanović and Greg Monroe—you do the math there.

Compare that to Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade, Dominick Barlow and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Not to mention Labaron Philon Jr., Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti’s potential developments. Along with Kawhi Leonard being the best player on the planet, depth cost Philadelphia the conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors that year.

"The Sixers have no bench" pic.twitter.com/OBaEM7xFjC
— Dunkadelphia (@PhillyDunk) July 27, 2026

The 2018-19 Sixers may have the edge with their version of Embiid compared to today’s and that version of Simmons to where Edgecombe is at this stage of his young career. But Philadelphia’s current top-end talent clears the rest of the way. Brett Brown definitively had more offensive creativity, but Nick Nurse has his victories elsewhere.

2022-23

The 2022-23 Sixers were a high-level 3-and-D wing away from this article being scrapped.

Who could forget the year that Embiid won Most Valuable Player, James Harden was the NBA’s assists leader, Maxey showed a semblance of the Maxey we know today and Harris and PJ Tucker rounding out the starting lineup?

This was the best roster Embiid had in terms of cohesion and upside. It’s the ceiling where things start to get interesting when you compare this team to Philadelphia’s current roster. Doc Rivers has infamously been criticized for not making adjustments in the postseason and Harden’s playoff pedigree is unflattering.

Both faults came to fruition in the conference semifinals versus the Boston Celtics. Rivers did not make adequate adjustments when Jayson Tatum went on a heater in Game 6 to outscore Philadelphia 24-13 in the fourth quarter, forcing a seventh game. Harden had iconic moments in the series, but it felt like every 40-piece was followed with a disappearing act.

I say all that to say the Sixers now have a unit with a lot more adaptability and composure. James’ playoff résumé doesn’t need to be written out, Brown was quintessential in Boston’s 2024 championship run and Embiid and Maxey are smarter. Nurse, while he has his own faults, has also proven his ability to adjust, engineering a 3-1 comeback against Boston in the first round this year.

Reminder that we’re just over 2 months removed from the Sixers winning game 7 in Boston after being down 3-1 behind

Joel Embiid
34pts, 12reb, 6ast, 2blks

Tyrese Maxey
30pts, 11reb, 7ast

VJ Edgecombe
23pts, 6reb, 4ast pic.twitter.com/0PS4rmDYcD
— Will Rucker (@Will_Rucker3_AD) July 27, 2026

This version of Philadelphia doesn’t yet have a trademark like the Harden/Embiid pick-and-roll, but the top-end talent, depth and potential ceiling all trump the 2022-23 Sixers'.

They just have to prove it

The sky is the limit for Philadelphia entering the 2026-27 season and its star power has lifted expectations and national attention in a way that could be overwhelming. But it’s for a good reason. Forget the team’s past; the Sixers rival the reigning champion New York Knicks for the best team in the Eastern Conference and perhaps even more.

We just have to see it.

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