LeBron’s Philly Shocker! Plus, the 2011 NBA Redraftables With Zach Lowe.

Summary of LeBron’s Philly Shocker! Plus, the 2011 NBA Redraftables With Zach Lowe.

by The Ringer

1h 46m•July 24, 2026
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Overview of The Ringer’s “LeBron’s Philly Shocker! Plus, the 2011 NBA Redraftables With Zach Lowe”

Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe open with a live, off-the-cuff reaction to the bombshell that LeBron James is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers, then pivot into a full 2011 NBA redraftables exercise. The episode is part breaking-news instant reaction, part draft-history nerdout, with a big focus on roster fit, title odds, and how the 2011 class aged into a famously chaotic, star-filled draft.

LeBron to Philadelphia: First-Reaction Breakdown

Why the move is shocking

  • Simmons says he genuinely didn’t see Philadelphia as a realistic destination and admits he had Cleveland pegged as the likely landing spot.
  • Lowe rates the surprise factor highly, though not at “perfect 10” levels, saying there had been hints something unusual was brewing.
  • Both treat the move as a major East-shifting event that makes the NBA more fun immediately.

Why Philly makes basketball sense

  • The big-picture pitch: if Joel Embiid is healthy enough, Philly now has an absurd concentration of talent.
  • They describe a lineup core of:
    • LeBron James
    • Jalen Brown
    • Tyrese Maxey
    • VJ Edgecombe
    • Joel Embiid
  • Their main argument: the team’s combination of star power, size, and versatility could make it a nightmare to guard.
  • Lowe emphasizes that the roster can stagger minutes creatively, and that Embiid and LeBron do not need to carry full regular-season workloads.

The Embiid question looms over everything

  • Both agree the entire title case depends on Embiid’s health.
  • They note that Philly can survive non-Embiid minutes better than most teams because of the amount of shot creation and durability around him.
  • Still, they repeatedly return to the same concern: can Embiid actually hold up through four playoff rounds?

Jalen Brown’s role is the most interesting fit issue

  • Simmons and Lowe both think Brown becomes the most fascinating variable on the roster.
  • Brown is seen as the likely “short straw” guy in terms of usage, despite being an elite player.
  • They wonder how he fits alongside:
    • LeBron’s on-ball gravity
    • Maxey’s usage
    • Embiid’s post-and-roll offense
  • They suggest Brown may have to become more of an enhanced role player than a true co-first option.

Playoff and conference implications

  • They think Philly would be built to navigate the East’s tougher regular season and still avoid overworking its stars.
  • They discuss the league’s top teams and conclude that, on paper, Philly has a legitimate case as one of the NBA’s scariest starting fives.
  • Simmons keeps returning to the idea that this is the kind of roster that could be “managed” toward April, May, and June.

Rivalries and league-wide fallout

  • The move supercharges the Celtics-Sixers rivalry, especially with Jalen Brown now in Philly and LeBron back on the opposite side of Boston history.
  • They also mention LeBron’s potential playoff history against:
    • the Cavs
    • the Heat
    • the Knicks
    • the Raptors
  • Their takeaway: the East just became dramatically more interesting, with old narratives suddenly reactivated.

Can LeBron still win another title?

  • Lowe is skeptical overall because of Embiid’s health.
  • Simmons is more open to the idea that this is a real title-chase setup.
  • Both agree it is one of the most fun possible outcomes short of a fantasy-level destination like Denver or Oklahoma City.

2011 NBA Redraftables: The Full Re-Ranking

The second half is a redraft of one of the weirdest and deepest classes in modern NBA history. They repeatedly stress how historically strange the 2011 draft looks in retrospect.

Their top picks

  • 1. Kawhi Leonard — Simmons and Lowe both take him first, citing elite two-way impact, championships, Finals MVPs, and peak dominance.
  • 2. Kyrie Irving — elite offensive talent and a more impactful number-one offensive option than he was often allowed to be.
  • 3. Jimmy Butler — Lowe values Butler’s two-way impact, finals runs, and ability to carry teams.
  • 4. Klay Thompson — Simmons and Lowe both praise his shooting gravity, defense, and all-time value as an elite complementary star.
  • 5. Kemba Walker — Simmons goes for peak scoring and shot creation.
  • 6. Nikola Vucevic — Lowe prioritizes durability and productive longevity.
  • 7. Tobias Harris — a high-minutes, versatile, long-career wing/forward.
  • 8. Isaiah Thomas — Lowe takes the late-career peak and Celtics run.
  • 9. Tristan Thompson — Simmons likes the switchability, offensive rebounding, and championship role-player value.
  • 10. Jonas Valanciunas — Simmons values his long career, rebounding, and reliable center play.

Later picks and notable values

  • Boyan Bogdanović — Simmons likes the shooting, playoff competence, and positional size.
  • Marcus Morris — a useful rotation forward on good teams.
  • Chandler Parsons — Lowe goes ceiling/skill despite the injury-shortened career.
  • Enes Kanter / Freedom — productive per-minute big with real situational value.
  • Reggie Jackson — useful guard who had real playoff moments.
  • Davis Bertans — chosen for elite shooting and spacing gravity.
  • Alec Burks — steady multi-role guard, strong longevity.
  • Kenneth Faried — athletic energy big and one of the draft’s great “what if” characters.
  • Nikola Mirotić — useful stretch big, though his career never fully matched the hype.
  • Corey Joseph — dependable bench stabilizer.
  • Bismack Biyombo — defense-only center who had real playoff utility.

Biggest Draft Misses and What-Ifs

The biggest miss: Derek Williams at No. 2

  • Simmons admits his biggest mistake was thinking Derrick Williams would be a better pro than Kyrie Irving.
  • They frame the class as a reminder of how unreliable draft projections can be.

Other notable misses

  • Jimmer Fredette — one of the biggest hype-to-reality fades.
  • Jan Vesely — huge pre-draft intrigue, little NBA payoff.
  • Brandon Knight — talent was there, but injuries derailed him.
  • Alec Burks / Goudelock / Jordan Hamilton / Josh Selby — all get mentioned as guys with varying degrees of summer-league or role-player intrigue.
  • They also note the enormous gap between where players were drafted and where they eventually finished in value.

Big Takeaways

  • The LeBron-to-Philly move is treated as a seismic, league-altering event that suddenly makes the East much more compelling.
  • The Sixers’ ceiling is tied to Embiid’s health, but the roster around him is strong enough to survive gaps.
  • Jalen Brown’s role becomes a fascinating fit question.
  • The 2011 draft stands out as an all-time weird class with elite talent spread across the board and a huge amount of hindsight chaos.
  • In retrospect, the class produced multiple franchise-defining players, championship pieces, and several all-time draft misses.