The Philadelphia 76ers have had one helluva offseason as new President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey and HBSE President of Sports Bob Myers have teamed up, along with Executive Vice President Jameer Nelson, to get the Sixers back on a championship track.

It started with free agency as Philadelphia went out and brought in Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Ariel Hukporti. They then made a huge trade to acquire Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics and put themselves in the running for LeBron James. After weeks and weeks of waiting and deliberation, the Sixers were able to land James on a 2-year $8 million deal.

The Sixers are squarely in championship contention now, but there are three questions that pop up in terms of James joining Philadelphia:

How will the defense look?

Offensively, Philadelphia's new starting lineup should be nearly unstoppable. Oh, a team stopped a Tyrese Maxey isolation? That's cool. Here's Jaylen Brown to hand the ball to, and he'll come up with a bucket. Oh, you stopped that? OK, here's Joel Embiid and all of the offensive moves he brings out of his bag at 7-feet tall. Somehow, that was stopped? Here comes LeBron James and all of his wonders. VJ Edgecombe is waiting in the wings as well.

However, defense could be an adventure. James will be 42 in December, and as effective as he still is on the floor, Father Time has robbed him a bit of his lateral quickness, and he has lost a step on that end of the floor. Then, there's Embiid, who has worked tirelessly to get back on the floor after the injuries, but he is not the same All-NBA Defender he once was due to the injuries. Maxey has taken huge strides on that end, but he is not an elite defender and Edgecombe is still only in his second season. Brown is solid on that end, and a competitor, but he is not a lockdown guy either. The defense will be something to watch in the early going.

What does the offensive hierarchy look like?

One has to believe there will be some bumps in the early going in the 2026-27 season. Building chemistry and finding ways to make the offense flow are going to be at the forefront of the new season in November and December as coach Nick Nurse and the staff look to find ways to make it all mesh.

Embiid, Maxey, Brown, and James have all had high usage percentages in their career. James is a guy who operates with the ball in his hands and orchestrates whatever offensive ecosystem he finds himself in and Embiid has done that for Philadelphia throughout his career. Maxey is in the process of stepping into that role and Brown is coming off a season in Boston in which he was the No. 1 option and will now be the No. 3 or 4 option on some nights. Even Edgecombe is squarely the No. 5 option now within this offense. It will certainly be interesting to watch.

What does this mean for Edgecombe's development?

Speaking of Edgecombe, he is coming off one helluva rookie season. Philadelphia, obviously, wants to win, but it also has to develop the second-year guard out of Baylor. He is explosive, can make a real difference in so many areas, and will be looking to do more in his career. With James now on board, one has to believe Edgecombe is the No. 5 option on offense behind the other four superstars out on the floor. One has to believe that James will do his best to keep him involved, as he is one of the top playmakers and facilitators in the game, but it will also be on the coaching staff to make sure Edgecombe gets the looks and the touches he needs to grow as a player in this league.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 questions regarding LeBron James joining Sixers after free agency