Gilbert Arenas does not see Philadelphia’s collection of star players as an obstacle to championship contention. Discussing the 76ers’ new roster on The Gilbert Arenas Show, Arenas rejected the idea that there will not be enough touches for LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.
“What the fu*king problem is? Pass the ball. Let’s go ISO. Like we pretending like that don’t work,” Arenas said. “What is the problem, sir?”
Philadelphia finished 45-37 last season, seventh in the Eastern Conference, before beating Boston in seven games in the first round and getting swept 4-0 by the eventual champion New York Knicks in the conference semifinals. The 76ers have since reshaped their roster, adding James and Brown to a group led by Embiid and Maxey.
The central question is how Nick Nurse will distribute possessions among four players accustomed to significant offensive responsibility. Maxey averaged 28.3 points and 6.6 assists in 70 games last season, while Embiid posted 26.9 points in 38 appearances.
Arenas pointed to Brown’s previous championship experience as evidence that an accomplished scorer can adjust to a different offensive role. Brown won the 2024 NBA championship with Boston and was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP during that title run.
“Didn’t Jaylen Brown win a championship playing option two or three? Whatever it was, Batman, Robin, whatever it was, he understands sit in a corner, swing, swing, swing, get it and drive,” Arenas said.
“He was successful doing that. He was an Eastern Conference Finals MVP doing that. So he can do that.”
Brown arrives after Philadelphia sent Paul George to Boston in a blockbuster trade. George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 37 games for the 76ers last season, meaning Brown will take over a major share of the wing responsibilities while joining a substantially different offensive hierarchy.
Arenas was particularly clear about where he believes the 76ers’ offense should begin when Embiid is available. The 32-year-old center played only 38 games in 2025-26, but still averaged 26.9 points on 48.9% shooting, along with 7.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
“Embiid been hurt, but he’s the superstar. He is the superstar,” Arenas said. “The ball is going to him, period.”
James’ arrival adds another elite decision-maker, while Maxey’s 28.3-point season established him as Philadelphia’s most productive perimeter scorer in 2025-26. Brown, meanwhile, has already played alongside another high-volume star in Jayson Tatum on a championship team, giving the 76ers at least one precedent for adjusting his offensive role around multiple primary options.
The challenge for Nurse is therefore less about the number of players capable of creating shots and more about defining possessions around Embiid’s availability, James’ playmaking and Maxey’s scoring while finding a workable role for Brown. Arenas’ argument is that Philadelphia does not need every possession to follow a rigid hierarchy: the 76ers can alternate between ball movement, isolation and matchup-based offense.
With four established stars now on the roster, Philadelphia’s offensive distribution will be one of the defining questions of the 2026-27 season. Arenas, however, does not view sharing the ball as the problem.
