Since LeBron James announced he would be signing with the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, many have been pushing the narrative that they now belong in the upper echelon of championship contenders alongside the OKC Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks.
While it's certainly undeniable that Philly has quite a ferocious collection of firepower at their disposal, with four All-Stars filling out their starting five, at the end of the day, it takes an entire team to take home a title.
Without question, the Thunder still have the edge in the total team department, and it's not even up for debate.
Thunder still have the clear edge in depth over LeBron-led 76ers
Yes, a first five unit of LeBron, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe should undoubtedly prove to be a handful, but behind them on the 76ers' roster is far from anything to write home about.
Philadelphia's second string is filled with rather limited or still unproven talents, with their most seasoned option being Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and arguably their most interesting being rookie Labaron Philon, who, ironically, was added to the roster thanks to last season's Jared McCain trade with the Thunder (selected 22 overall in June with draft rights attained in the exchange).
Until proven otherwise, a bench unit like this should almost certainly lead coach Nick Nurse toward riding his starters hard, which, considering LeBron's advanced age and Embiid's extensive injury history, could be a recipe for disaster.
The Thunder, meanwhile, have one of the most elite depth charts in the entire association even after their string of offseason trades.
Aside from their ridiculous star power headlined by established All-NBA forwards Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, and, of course, two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City has roughly nine to ten players who are more than capable of logging serious minutes within the rotation.
From rising stars like Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, and Jared McCain to criminally underrated talents such as Jaylin Williams, the Thunder are stacked with ballers who have proven they can take over games at a moment's notice.
Frankly, this sensational depth has played a major role in OKC winning 60-plus games and earning the number one seed in the league's standings over the last few years amid major injury woes.
Add on the fact that they just recently brought two first-round picks, including the lottery-selected Aday Mara, to their collection, and it goes without saying that while Philadelphia may have the slight edge in star power, the Thunder completely overpower them when it comes to their vast player arsenal.
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