The Philadelphia 76ers spent the summer betting on star power. Former NBA champion Jeff Teague isn’t convinced the stars can share the ball.

The Sixers already had a core in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. They traded for Jaylen Brown on July 1, sending Paul George and two first-round picks to Boston, and then signed LeBron James in free agency on a two-year, $8 million deal after his eight seasons with the Lakers.

That is four players who have made All-Star teams, on a team that went 45–37 last season and was swept by the Knicks in the second round.

However, Teague is not buying into the hype.

“Everybody got a lot of high hopes for the Sixers,” Teague said on the Club 520 Podcast. “I’m not a fan. I don’t think they gonna be that good,” Teague said.

His skepticism comes after an offseason that changed Philadelphia’s outlook. But putting that talent together is only the first step. The players will need to find a balance between their individual responsibilities and the team’s overall goals.

Jeff Teague Questions Who Will Sacrifice for Philadelphia

Teague’s central concern is how the Sixers’ leading players will adjust to sharing the floor. James has spent much of his career directing the offense, while Maxey has grown into a primary scoring and playmaking option. Brown also brings significant scoring ability, and Embiid remains a focal point when available.

With multiple players accustomed to having the ball, Philadelphia will need to establish clear roles. That could mean fewer shots for some players, less time initiating possessions, or greater contributions away from the ball.

“It’s too much sacrifice, who’s going to sacrifice all that?”

He also laid out how it could go wrong. After the first four-game losing streak, he said, someone starts saying “Bron is old,” and then “some s— is going to happen.” Teague predicted the Sixers would finish fourth in the East.

And there is history behind the doubt. In 2019, Philadelphia paired Embiid with Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, then lost Game 7 of the second round on Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater, and Butler left that summer. The 2021-22 Nets, built around Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, didn’t make it through one season together. Harden was traded at the deadline, and Brooklyn was swept in the first round.

James has also lived through the scenario. In his first season with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Miami started 9–8 and faced questions about whether the stars fit. The Heat made the Finals that year and won the next two titles, but only after James and Wade worked out who would give up what.

LeBron James is 41, and he can’t be expected to play the heaviest minutes. Maxey led the NBA in minutes per game last season, and Brown can be pushed close to 40 a night. Nurse has to balance that with keeping James and Embiid fresh. VJ Edgecombe rounds out the starting five.

Nurse will have to make those decisions over the course of the season. He needs to build a rotation that keeps the stars productive while giving the supporting players defined responsibilities.

The team’s early performances should offer a clearer picture of how those roles are developing.

So far, Nurse likes what he has seen, even if it hasn’t been smooth. “There certainly have been some rough edges,” he said, adding that the group is “looking to move” the ball. He also confirmed Embiid is “ready to go.”

Teague’s doubts do not guarantee that Philadelphia will fall short. The roster has the ability to challenge in the East if its players find a workable balance. But the question he raised is central to the Sixers’ championship hopes: can a group with so many established stars make the adjustments necessary to win together?