76ers add LeBron James, Jaylen Brown to Embiid and Maxey

The 76ers open Tuesday, October 20, at the New York Knicks, and their season turns on how often LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey share the floor.

Philadelphia went 45-37 last season, took the East's 7th seed and posted a net rating of -0.2. It lost its last series to the Knicks 4-0.

Embiid missed 44 games. With Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Dominick Barlow all playing, the 76ers went 31-23; when one of the three sat, they went 14-14. The last 30 games ended 15-15.

Embiid played 38 games and averaged 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds. His Keel Impact of 3.49 was the best in this core. Maxey played 70 games at 38 minutes a night, scored 28.3 points and graded at 3.04. Edgecombe added 16 points and 5.6 rebounds as the second guard, at 1.1.

Paul George is the largest loss. He left for the Boston Celtics after 37 games at 30.6 minutes, with an impact rating of 2.51. Quentin Grimes (Lakers), Kelly Oubre Jr. (Pacers) and Andre Drummond (Knicks) also left. Only 56% of last season's minutes return.

Brown arrives from the Celtics after scoring 28.7 points in 71 games, at 0.99. James comes from the Los Angeles Lakers with 20.9 points and 7.2 assists in 60 games, at 1.83. Both take on the minutes George and Oubre leave.

Dean Wade joins from the Cleveland Cavaliers and graded at 1.66 in 22.3 minutes a night. Anfernee Simons, who split last season between the Celtics and the Chicago Bulls, graded at -0.81, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, from the Memphis Grizzlies, at -1.36. Two below-average guards leave their minutes in question.

Labaron Philon, the No. 22 pick out of Alabama, is projected on the fringe of the rotation.

Ariel Hukporti, who came from the Knicks, is out for the season. He ruptured an Achilles in the preseason opener against New York.

Barlow, Wade, Simons and Adem Bona are day-to-day, each listed to return Tuesday, October 20. Barlow missed the entire preseason with a back injury, and Wade hurt an ankle.

Our numbers rank the roster 18th of 30 in strength and project 40 wins with a net rating of -0.6. That is a view of the team as built, not a promise, and a full season from Embiid would push past it.