The 76ers will complete 62 road trips in the new season, ranking first in the league, which is not friendly to LeBron James.

The 2026-27 season is LeBron James' debut campaign with the 76ers, but the team will be on the move extensively. According to an analysis of the 2026-27 NBA schedule by Canadian media, the 76ers will have62 individual road trips, the most in the league.

This situation is unfavorable for James, adding another challenge to his 24th NBA season: he must adapt to a new team while dealing with a schedule that requires more separate trips than any other team in the league.

However, the 76ers' estimated total flight mileage is not the highest in the league. The team's projected total distance is 41,320 miles, ranking only 19th, creating a stark contrast between the frequency of trips and total flight miles.

The Grizzlies follow closely with 61 separate road trips, while the Bucks and Cavaliers tie for third with 60 trips each. The Pelicans lead the league with an estimated total mileage of 55,531 miles.

The researchers calculated by marking each regular-season away game and tracking the team's travel from the previous location to the next game venue. They matched the geographic coordinates of each arena, calculated the straight-line distance for each leg, and aggregated the data for the entire season.

These estimates do not represent actual flight routes, layovers, or the real itineraries of the team's private jets. Even so, the number of trips highlights the unique scheduling burden on the Philadelphia 76ers. While the 76ers avoid the highest total flight mileage in the league, no other team has to embark on road trips as frequently.

With frequent away games, James should be most looking forward to the Christmas Day game returning to Los Angeles, where he can have family around and face off against his son Bronny on the NBA court.

Bronny will be entering the final season of his rookie contract with the Lakers, which may be the last guaranteed salary year. Both he and the team will soon have to make a decision about his NBA future.

From the moment he was drafted, Bronny's NBA career has been under a media microscope. Many believe he only made it to the league because of his father's connections. But over the past two seasons, Bronny has been working hard to prove that he possesses the qualities of an NBA player, primarily as a 3-and-D guard.

Bronny is a young player drafted and developed by the team. If he progresses well, he could become a stable rotation player in the coming seasons. After several failed attempts to develop rookies, the Lakers' front office has more motivation to keep evaluating Bronny and see if his growth trajectory yields positive results.

With LeBron having left the Lakers, Bronny no longer has his father's halo protecting him. In the 2026-27 season, his $2.296 million salary is fully guaranteed, but the team option for the 2027-28 season is held by the Lakers. This means his money is secure, but his place on the team depends entirely on his performance this season.

The Lakers' evaluation of him will be purely based on competitive merit: whether he can consistently earn rotation minutes, sustain defensive output, and maintain three-point efficiency. If he fails to deliver a convincing performance this season, the Lakers could choose not to exercise the team option, ending his Lakers tenure.

However, the Lakers are not eager to give up on this young player. With few other homegrown rookies on the roster, the team 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 solely on his on-court performance to earn his spot, no longer benefiting from his father's reputation.

In 42 games last season, he averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 assists, and 0.5 rebounds, shooting 40.9% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range. Compared to his rookie season when he shot only 28.1% from three, he has shown clear improvement.

Head coach JJ Redick has given Bronny a clear development direction: focus on defense, become a nuisance on the perimeter, and translate his solid three-point shooting from the G League to the NBA level.

In short: the new season is a make-or-break year for Bronny. If he plays well, the Lakers will pick up the team option and continue to give him chances. If his performance remains mediocre, his NBA career may come to an end.