LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers is definitely a development that should catch the New York Knicks’ attention. It just isn’t one that they should particularly care about, because the Sixers’ title chances were already on shaky footing due to a lack of roster continuity.
The Knicks also don’t have to worry about that.
Though LeBron inarguably improves Philly’s talent pool, he only adds to the team’s unfamiliarity. If we assume the Sixers part ways with Dalen Terry to make room for the four-time MVP, they will be returning 56 percent of last season’s minutes.
Compare that now to the Knicks. Even after losing Mitchell Robinson, they have around 88 percent of last year’s total minutes on their roster. That is actually a higher share than they had entering their championship-winning campaign.
Parity is all the rage right now. Eight different champions have been crowned in each of the past eight years. But even with that trend in place, roster continuity remains a critical component of title contention.
Champions typically are not created overnight
New York has already experienced both ends of this spectrum. It overhauled the roster prior to 2024-25, returning 57 percent of the previous season’s minutes. Changes were clearly needed, but the Knicks took time to reach their final form before going on to win it all.
Consider the roster continuity of the past 10 champions, defined as the total percentage of the previous season’s minutes represented on the team:
- 2026 Knicks: 85 percent
- 2025 Thunder: 79 percent
- 2024 Celtics: 69 percent
- 2023 Nuggets: 51 percent*
- 2022 Warriors: 68 percent
- 2021 Bucks: 59 percent
- 2020 Lakers: 52 percent
- 2019 Raptors: 67 percent
- 2018 Warriors: 81 percent
- 2017 Warriors: 67 percent
The asterisks on the Nuggets’ title is for Jamal Murray. He missed the entire season before their championship with an ACL injury. His return counted as a “new player,” even though he wasn’t new.
With that in mind, only one of the past 10 champions had a lower roster-continuity share than the Sixers have now after adding LeBron, along with Jaylen Brown, Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Ariel Hukporti.
The Sixers are not the Knicks’ only rival punting on continuity
All across the Eastern Conference, we have seen higher-end roster shakeups.
The Toronto Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard. Again. We think. The Celtics shipped out Jaylen Brown. The Miami Heat gutted their depth for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Anthony Davis, Trae Young and AJ Dybantsa must be integrated into the Washington Wizards’ program. The Charlotte Hornets sold off their best player.
Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic have clung to continuity. And in their cases, that’s not necessarily a good thing. The Knicks trucked Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals. Orlando is entering, like, Year 4 of us wondering whether they can remain healthy enough to be anything.
New York’s biggest concern, meanwhile, is papering over the exit of a backup center. And also Jalen Brunson’s wrist surgery. Neither seems like a huge deal right now. That includes JB’s recovery from surgery.
None of this means Philly made the Knicks’ title defense easier. It just means their roster continuity matters—empirically, anecdotally, and as an advantage LeBron can’t ever bring to the Sixers.
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