The Athletic Ranks 76ers Roster First in NBA

Strategic offseason acquisitions earn Philadelphia the top spot in recent roster evaluations.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Basketball

The Athletic Ranks 76ers Roster First in NBA

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NBA writers polled by The Athletic have ranked the Philadelphia 76ers roster first in the league. The team bolstered its depth through major trades and free agency signings.

Why it matters

The 76ers prioritized adding stars like Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to build a deeper roster capable of surviving player injuries throughout the season. This approach aims to ensure the team reaches peak health for the postseason in April.

The 76ers roster features top-five positional units, including 4th-ranked small forwards and centers along with 5th-ranked point guards and power forwards. No position group on the team ranked lower than 19th in the league analysis.

The players

Philadelphia 76ers

This is a professional basketball team that competes in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.

Jaylen Brown

He is an NBA player recently acquired by the 76ers through a trade involving Paul George.

LeBron James

He is an veteran NBA player who signed a two-year minimum contract with the 76ers.

Joel Embiid

He is a central player for the 76ers expected to miss at least 20 games during the season.

The Athletic

This is a sports journalism publication that conducts periodic polls of NBA writers to evaluate team rosters.

The details

Philadelphia traded for Jaylen Brown and signed LeBron James, Dean Wade, and Anfernee Simons to insulate the roster against injuries. These moves serve to improve upon the team offense, which finished 16th last season following a second-round playoff loss to the Knicks.

Last season, the 76ers were eliminated by the Knicks in the second round of the playoffs.
October 2026 marks when The Athletic ranked the 76ers roster as the best in the NBA.
November and December are periods where team health remains a lower priority.
April is the target month for the team to achieve peak health.

Season Trajectory

These roster upgrades position Philadelphia to shift from a team vulnerable to injuries to a title favorite in a highly competitive Eastern Conference. This moves the franchise past the limitations exposed by their second-round playoff loss to the Knicks last season.

The expected 20-game absence of Joel Embiid suggests the 76ers will rely heavily on their new depth signings to maintain standings during the early months. With no position ranked lower than 19th, fantasy managers should anticipate consistent output across the entire starting rotation.

The takeaway

Philadelphia has successfully utilized the offseason to build a deep roster that mitigates the risk of star-player injury. This strategic depth is designed to preserve the team's championship viability for the high-stakes games in April.