Knicks Have 2 Advantages and 1 Concern for Future 76ers Matchups

The Philadelphia 76ers spent the summer loading up. First, they made a splash by landing Jaylen Brown. Now, they signed the Hall of Famer LeBron James, and Philly could pose the biggest threat to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference.

As things stand, James has been thrown into an already distinguished starting five featuring the newly acquired Brown, big man Joel Embiid, the sharpshooter Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe. That's a formidable unit, and, when healthy, they can match anybody pound-for-pound in the league.

When it comes to future matchups with the Knicks, they may boast a star-studded foursome and a Rookie of the Year finalist, but they won't have the cohesiveness New York does.

Advantage: 76ers have a personality and leadership dilemma the Knicks already sorted out

The Sixers were already in a unique situation as they tried to figure out how the personalities of Brown and Embiid would mesh.

Considering James' presence, what does that look like now? It seemed like Brown wanted his own team, and it was a reason for his Celtics exit, but now he'll be sandwiched between the two massive stars—both literally and figuratively.

Then there are the usual questions to iron out, even if everybody was on the same page. They'll have to figure out who the primary ball handler will be, as well as who gets the ball in their hand in crunch time. Those will inevitably lead to some frustrations with so many alphas looking to be the one everyone turns to.

These simply aren't issues the Knicks have anymore. This core of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges has played together since 2024. The idea of who would take the last shot was clearly ironed out by last season, and that was even more evident in the NBA Finals.

It's Brunson's team in New York, but who is running the Sixers? If there's one thing the Knicks should hope for, it's that they don't figure that out.

Concern: Knicks must worry about Philly's clear size

The Knicks may have their cohesiveness as a strength, but one glaring issue they would face is the size mismatch. Defending the 6' 9" James and 7' 0" Embiid is complicated by the fact that Mitchell Robinson is gone.

Towns, Bridges, and Anunoby are solid defenders, but how does that matchup play out in crunch time?

LeBron James and Joel Embii — Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives past Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There's a chance for the outsized Knicks would be overwhelmed on the court, making their need for another big man even more paramount. The Knicks added Andre Drummond, but even with his 6' 11" height and 7' 6" wingspan, he isn't the force on defense that Robinson is. Embiid was able to impose his will on Drummond in the past, and that matchup could be even uglier years later.

Of course, this size issue may not be of a factor if both Embiid and James are out. Embiid hasn't played more than 60 games since 2022, and last season, while James was able to start 60 games, he is 41 years old. Nobody would be surprised if Father Time caught up to him.

Still, with ex-Knick Ariel Hukporti and Adem Bona also on hand to provide towering presences for the Sixers, New York adding a competent third big is even more pressing.

Advantage: Knicks are still the more complete team

If there is one area the Knicks really stand out compared to the 76ers, it's their bench. Their depth at center is still on shaky ground, but guys like Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, and Deuce McBride all can provide some firepower, whereas that Philly bench feels a little thin.

We saw what New York's reserves could do during the year and even in the Finals. Shamet has shown that he can start in a pinch, McBride has emerged as one of the more underrated bench pieces in the league, while Jose Alvarado displayed in the Finals he's a big-moment player who can help wing games. Where would the Knicks be without his Game 4 heroics?

Is there anybody on the Sixers bench who could match either of them outside of Anfernee Simons? Simons is the best of the bunch, shooting 43.8% from the field and 32% from deep. Then there's Justin Edwards, who regressed from his rookie year, averaging fewer rebounds and points than he did a season before. They'll need him to take a jump in his development for that second unit to be effective.

Edwards, Dominick Barlow, and Dean Wade haven't shown enough overall to match up with the Knicks' bench. One is battle-tested while the other is full of question marks.

For New York, there probably will be a bit of wait-and-see with the Sixers. It's a brand new starting unit full of brand-name players, and there's always a chance they could lack cohesion, or injuries unravel the whole thing.

It's one of those instances where it looks cool on NBA 2K, but when the games are actually played on the floor, it isn't as fluid.

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