Wow! 76ers Rank First in the League! This Schedule Is Very Unfriendly to LeBron...

The 2026-27 season will be LeBron James' first season with the 76ers, but Philadelphia will spend a significant amount of time traveling. Canadian media analyzed the 2026-27 NBA schedule and calculated that the 76ers will make 62 independent road trips during the new season, ranking first in the league.

This situation is not particularly favorable for James, adding another challenge to his 24th NBA season: he must adapt to a new team while also dealing with a travel-heavy schedule that requires more independent trips than any other team in the league.

However, the 76ers' projected total flight mileage is not the highest in the league. The team is estimated to travel 41,320 miles in total, ranking 19th in the NBA, creating a major contrast between travel frequency and total flight distance.

The Grizzlies follow the 76ers with 61 independent trips, while the Bucks and Cavaliers are tied for third with 60 trips each. The Pelicans lead the league with a projected total travel distance of 55,531 miles.

The researchers' calculation method was as follows: they marked every regular-season road game and tracked the team's journey from its previous location to the next game venue. They matched arena geographic coordinates, calculated the straight-line distance of each segment, and combined the figures to produce the season-long totals.

These estimates do not represent actual flight routes, flight connections, or the real paths taken by teams' private charter flights. Even so, the number of trips highlights the unique schedule burden faced by the Philadelphia 76ers. Although the 76ers avoid having the league's highest total flight mileage, no other team needs to travel away from home as frequently.

With such frequent road trips, James will likely be especially looking forward to returning to Los Angeles for the Christmas Day game, where he can have his family nearby and face his son Bronny on an NBA court.

Bronny is approaching what could be the final season of guaranteed salary in his Lakers rookie contract, and both he and the team will soon need to make decisions about his NBA future.

Since the moment he was drafted, Bronny's NBA career has remained under intense public attention. Some people believe his entry into the league was entirely due to his family connection. However, over the past two seasons, Bronny has continued working hard to prove that he has NBA-level potential and can be a 3-and-D guard.

Bronny is a young player selected and developed by the Lakers themselves. If his development goes well, he has a chance to become a consistent rotation player in future seasons. Previous failures in developing several Lakers rookies have also given the front office more reason to continue evaluating Bronny and see whether his growth path can lead to a positive outcome.

With LeBron having already left the Lakers, Bronny no longer has the protection of his father's presence. His $2.296 million salary for the 2026-27 season is fully guaranteed, but the team option for the 2027-28 season belongs to the Lakers. This means his salary is secured, but his place on the team depends entirely on his performance in the new season.

The Lakers' evaluation of him will return entirely to basketball factors: whether he can consistently enter the rotation, whether his defense can remain effective, and whether he can maintain three-point efficiency. If he cannot provide convincing performances in the new season, the Lakers can decline the team option, which would likely end his Lakers career.

However, the Lakers will not easily give up on this young player. The team lacks other homegrown young prospects and is willing to give him a full season to prove himself. For Bronny, this is the first time since entering the league that he must rely entirely on his own on-court performance to earn a place, rather than his father's reputation.

Last season, he played 42 games and averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 assists, and 0.5 rebounds per game, shooting 40.9% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range. Compared with his rookie-season three-point percentage of just 28.1%, he has shown clear improvement.

Head coach Redick has already outlined Bronny's development direction: focus on defense, become a disruptive perimeter player, and transfer his strong three-point shooting ability from the G League to the NBA regular season stage.

In summary, the new season is a make-or-break year for Bronny. If he performs well, the Lakers will exercise the team option and continue giving him opportunities; if his performance remains average, his NBA career could potentially come to an end.