LeBron James is about to enter the most unusual chapter of his career. At 41, he is leaving Los Angeles after eight seasons and joining a Philadelphia 76ers team that already has several players capable of carrying a major part of the offense. For the first time in years, James will not walk into a team where everything has to run through him.

That change comes as James enters his record 24th NBA season. He averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 60 games for the Lakers last season, starting every one of them. Yet his move to Philadelphia has already raised a bigger question than how much he can still produce: how should the Sixers actually use him?

Olden Polynice offered a surprising answer on Bryan Scott’s Fast Break Show, suggesting James should come off the bench and attack opposing second units.

“If I was LeBron James, and I’m not saying I’m LeBron, I wouldn’t mind coming off the bench. Sit your ass on the bench, get ready, and then you just dominate the second units of any team in the league.”

Polynice also pointed to Philadelphia’s crowded group of offensive options, arguing that James could move from being a major option in Los Angeles to a different place in the Sixers’ hierarchy.

“LeBron has gone from the third option with the Lakers to the fourth option in Philadelphia. And so, is he going to be okay with that? Because that’s where he’s at right now.”

The suggestion sounds extreme because James has almost never occupied that role. He has started 1,620 of 1,622 regular-season games in his career, with only two known regular-season appearances off the bench. He also started all 60 games he played last season.

Philadelphia, however, gives Polynice a very different situation to work with. The projected starting group features Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, James and Joel Embiid. Maxey and Embiid have long carried major offensive workloads, while Brown arrives as another high-volume scorer and Edgecombe is coming off a rookie season in which he averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.

That creates a real basketball question, even if “fourth option” is Polynice’s interpretation rather than an official Sixers designation. Five players cannot all have the same share of the ball, and Philadelphia will have to stagger its stars. One reported possibility has even involved using James as a point guard at times.

There is also a precedent for James accepting less offensive responsibility without giving up his place in the starting lineup. After Luka Doncic joined the Lakers, James remained a starter but accepted a reduced primary-creator role. Doncic took more of the scoring and usage burden, while James remained a major playmaker and closer.

That distinction may be the key to this entire debate. James has already shown that he can let another superstar take over more of the offense. He has never shown that he is willing to become a regular sixth man.

Byron Scott has repeatedly rejected that possibility. Before the Philadelphia move, Scott said James would not go somewhere simply to become a reserve.

“We all know this for a fact. He ain’t going to go to another team and say, ‘Well, I’ll come off the bench. I’ll be a role player.’ He can still probably be your third-best player or your second-best player on the team.”

Scott has nevertheless argued that Philadelphia could allow James to take some pressure off himself. With the Sixers’ talent, he believes James will not have to do the same amount of heavy lifting he did during earlier stages of his career.

That is where Polynice’s idea becomes interesting. A bench role would not necessarily mean James stops playing major minutes. He could still be used heavily against second units, staggered with Philadelphia’s other stars and trusted to close games. The potential benefit would be keeping his offensive impact while reducing some of the physical burden of starting every game.

There are historical examples of great players accepting smaller roles late in their careers. Vince Carter remained productive into his 40s while moving between starting and reserve roles, while Moses Malone and Gary Payton also accepted reduced responsibilities late in their careers. But the research found no true modern parallel for an active player with James’ stature and production voluntarily becoming a full-time sixth man this late in his career.

James also made it clear when he chose Philadelphia that this season is about more than simply adding another year to his career. He considered retirement after last season but ultimately decided to continue, saying he still wanted to sacrifice, compete and chase another championship. He signed a two-year deal worth about $8 million, including a player option for the second season.

So the question in Philadelphia is not whether LeBron can still start. His 2025-26 season answered that. The real question is whether a player who has almost never left the starting lineup would ever take the next step and willingly give up his place in it.

Polynice thinks he should.

Scott does not appear to think that possibility exists.