LeBron James, Jaylen Brown Set the Tone at 76ers Media Day: ‘We Have to be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable’

76ers fans, the day you have all been waiting for is here. The first look at LeBron James and Jaylen Brown in 76ers uniforms was on Monday at media day, and boy was it beautiful.

It was the city’s first chance to hear from the King himself about what it means to join this Philadelphia squad, and the expectations he set for himself and the squad.

“I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round,” James said. “If we don’t [do the uncomfortable work], then we will be like, ‘oh, that was a great team on paper and we had a lot of great talent, and we lost in the second round.’ Like, I don’t want to do that.”

James, entering his 24th season in the NBA and his first in South Philly, noted that the grind is something he is ready for, and something that is necessary in order to be successful.

“In order for us to be great, we have to do things that are just not comfortable,” James said. “We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. That is the best way to expedite being great. You have to fall in love with things that are uncomfortable.”

It was a common theme in discussions during media day this year that while the Sixers look like they are going to be very competitive, no games have been played yet. The main thing has to stay the main thing, and any expectations or assumptions about the team have to be ignored. The work has to stay the same, and the effort needs to be elite.

Jaylen Brown, known for potential off-the-court issues with the media, kept things simple during media day.

“On paper we look great, but like let’s all slow down,” Brown said. It takes real work every single day in order to make something like this happen.

“When you have this much talent, it’s about who is willing to take a step back so the team can take a step forward.”

There is only so much scoring these four can do. With Tyrese Maxey, Brown, James, and Joel Embiid all sharing the rock in the starting lineup, it may mean that some will have to sacrifice their contributions in the scoring column for the betterment of the team.

That being said, some individuals will have to step it up altogether with their game, such as new additions Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope off the bench.

Maxey specifically noted how with the new additions to the team, he may have more opportunity to play off-ball, a skill of his that he has excelled in in the past.

“Our roster this year really creates the ability for myself to get out and transition a little bit more,” Maxey said. “It creates the ability for… I don’t always have to come back and like bring the ball up. You know, we got [Le]Bron, J[aylen] B[rown], Process [Joel Embiid] can bring it up… I mean, the list goes on and on of guys who can bring the ball up.”

As the season gets closer and closer, all eyes are on the new-look Philadelphia 76ers. As the team said during media day, it’s going to take a collective effort in practice and a consistent grind in order to prevent a narrative that this Sixers team isn’t the real deal. This team should be a contender this season; all that’s left is to go out and prove it. It all starts as training camp opens on Tuesday.

“It’s all going to start off with getting one percent better every day,” James said, “starting [Tuesday].”

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