Windhorst: LeBron's New Teams Never Start Fast, Sixers Need Time

ESPN insider Brian Windhorst has cautioned against expecting instant dominance from the rebuilt Philadelphia 76ers, saying LeBron James's new teams have historically needed time to settle.

"They could win 58 games, and I think that would be enough for the top seed in the East. Or they could win 44. I really don't know how it will play out. But I want to make one thing clear: they have seven new players. Seven! And some of them, like Jaylen Brown and LeBron, are players the others have to adjust to considerably. It is an immutable LeBron fact: when he arrives at a new team, they do not start fast. They need time," Windhorst said.

He added a caveat of his own. "Of course, I am not claiming that the LeBron of 2014 is the same LeBron as in 2026. Besides, the internal dynamic of this team is different from the previous ones. But just keep it in mind when you assess the prospects of the Sixers, especially at the very start of the season."

Windhorst pointed to the record. "Miami in 2010 began the season 9-8. Cleveland in 2014 was 19-20 at the halfway point of the regular season, so under 50 per cent of wins by mid-season. And the Lakers in 2018/19 missed the playoffs altogether. Over the last nine years, do you know how many times a LeBron team has cleared the mark of 50.5 wins in a season? Just twice. So LeBron has not been playing on regular-season dominant teams for quite some time. They can be a great, formidable force and still win, say, around 48 games. Don't panic if things creak at the start," the journalist said.

If Windhorst's range holds, a 44-win season and a 58-win one would both fit the same roster, and the early weeks in Philadelphia may say little about where it finishes.