The 76ers starting lineup for 2026-27 is the clearest test case of how NBA teams are sorting out consequential roster questions this preseason. Philadelphia planned to play a full starting group of LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, according to NBA.com. That lineup did not exist a year ago, and how it performs together will shape expectations for a team that overhauled its roster around two aging stars and a trio of younger building blocks.
Elsewhere, Denver is managing Jamal Murray’s workload as he returns from missing a preseason game, and fantasy rankings are already flagging a shift at the top of the league’s hierarchy. Together, these threads show teams are using the preseason to answer real questions about who starts, who shares the floor and how much those players should play before games count.
Philadelphia’s Five-Star Experiment Takes The Floor
The 76ers added James via free agency and Brown via trade with the Boston Celtics this offseason, pairing them with holdovers Embiid, Maxey and Edgecombe. That is five players capable of starting for most NBA teams, and Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse used the preseason opener against the New York Knicks to manage the group carefully rather than throw it together immediately. James, Embiid and Maxey were healthy scratches in that opener, a decision Nurse made before committing to playing the full group against Brooklyn barring setbacks, according to NBA.com.
Brown’s preseason debut came Monday in a 120-97 win over the defending champions, and the early returns were strong: 22 points in just 17 minutes. Edgecombe added 12 points and seven assists in 20 minutes in the same game, suggesting the 76ers’ incumbent pieces are already finding rhythm even before the full starting five shares the court together.
What The Full Lineup Debut Will Reveal
Thursday’s game against the Nets matters less for the final score than for what Philadelphia learns about spacing, shot distribution and defensive matchups when James, Embiid, Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe are on the floor at once. A team with that much shot creation has to answer who initiates offense in crunch situations, and preseason minutes are the only data Nurse will have before the games start counting. Embiid’s health remains the swing factor for how often this exact group takes the floor once the regular season begins, though the sources do not specify any current injury concern for him entering Thursday.
Denver Manages Murray’s Return Carefully
In Denver, Jamal Murray started against Utah on Tuesday after missing Sunday’s preseason opener for a personal matter, according to CBS Sports. Murray is Denver’s second offensive option behind Nikola Jokic, and the team is not expected to lean on him for heavy minutes this preseason as it builds toward opening night. That measured approach is a reminder that for established contenders, preseason lineup news is often about managing known commodities rather than settling competitions, a contrast with Philadelphia’s bigger structural question of how five new pieces fit together.
The Counterpoint: Most Rosters Are Settled, Not In Flux
Not every team is wrestling with lineup uncertainty this month. Denver’s rotation around Jokic and Murray is largely known, and the fantasy marketplace reflects a league where star hierarchies are relatively stable at the top. NBC Sports‘ preseason top 200 fantasy rankings for 2026-27 put Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs first, with Jokic second and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander third, a sign that the league’s top-tier talent evaluation is not undergoing the kind of upheaval Philadelphia’s roster represents.
Wembanyama overtaking Jokic at the top of those rankings is a notable shift, but it reflects individual stardom, not open rotation battles. For most franchises, the preseason is confirming expectations rather than resolving genuine competitions for playing time.
What To Watch Next
Philadelphia’s game against Brooklyn on Thursday is the next checkpoint for the 76ers’ new-look starting five, assuming no setbacks change Nurse’s plan. How Embiid, James, Maxey, Brown and Edgecombe share shots and minutes in that game will offer the first real look at a lineup that has generated outsized attention since the offseason moves were made. Denver, meanwhile, will continue easing Murray back into game action as the Nuggets approach opening night without pushing his workload before it matters.
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