Balance has become the greatest strength of the new-look Philadelphia 76ers, with a 3-0 start showing early signs that their offseason revamp is working.

The arrivals of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James were meant to complement Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, and so far they have. Maxey remains the lead offensive option, but with five starters capable of leading the team in scoring on any given night, Philadelphia has been close to impossible to stop. This depth leaves opponents with no single player they can focus on, which is a large part of why the early results have been so encouraging.

James has been the connector. At 41 and in his 24th season, he is averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and six assists in his first two appearances, and his passing and elite basketball IQ are a big reason a lineup with this many scorers works. The question with a roster this star-heavy is whether there is enough room for everyone, and the stars have played off one another so well that concerns about there being only “one ball” to go around have been eased.

On opening night, Maxey scored 28 points and six teammates added at least nine apiece in a 106-100 victory over the New York Knicks that spoiled the defending champions’ ring night ceremony and showed the league they are ready to compete. The Sixers then won their home opener 114-106 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, rallying from a 29-point deficit late in the first half with five players scoring in double figures. 

Erasing a deficit that large required resilience, especially when it would have been easy to write the game off this early in the season, and the comeback revealed a resolve that is essential for aspiring contenders.

Philadelphia then continued its strong start with a 127-116 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, even without James, who sat out with lower back pain. Embiid led the way with a triple-double of 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Brown and Maxey added 27 and 26 points, Edgecombe had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Dean Wade scored seven in a spot start for James. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also contributed four three-pointers off the bench.

Only three teams in the East now remain unbeaten, with the 2-0 Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors joining the Sixers on that short list. It is still too early to draw firm conclusions, but if Philadelphia stays healthy and keeps playing at this level, a deep playoff run in the East should be well within reach. That is a big “if,” though, given Embiid’s injury history and James’ advanced age.

For a Sixers team that will be in the spotlight all year, it could not have asked for a better start.