LeBron James Assists Prop Pick for 76ers vs. Knicks

Over the summer, LeBron James made “The Decision” for the fourth time, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers for what he claimed would be the final chapter of his Hall of Fame career. After 11 seasons across two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, four with the Miami Heat, and eight with the Los Angeles Lakers, James will enter his record 24th season playing on a minimum contract for the first time.

James’ Philadelphia stint will begin tonight with a highly-anticipated 7 p.m. ET matchup against the New York Knicks on the latter’s ring night. The 76ers underwent lots of change in the offseason, bringing in both James and Jaylen Brown, so there’s plenty of intrigue on how the on-court product will look.

Philadelphia is a 4.5-point underdog for tonight’s game at DraftKings Sportsbook (+150 on the Moneyline), with the point total set to 231.5. The Knicks are -180 on the Moneyline.

Below, I’ll break down James’ assists prop bet in his 76ers debut.

LeBron James Assists Prop Bet vs. Knicks

LeBron James 8+ Assists (-108)

James became the second scoring option briefly during parts of his Lakers tenure behind Anthony Davis, and he was arguably the third option last season with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves both on Los Angeles’ roster. He averaged 7.2 assists per game in his 60 games, topping the eight-assist threshold 26 times and ranking 17th in potential assists per game among players with at least 60 games played. Among those players, he had the eighth-highest assist-to-pass ratio, racking up stats efficiently despite his status as a secondary playmaker behind Dončić.

James should have no trouble racking up similar numbers again this season with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Brown likely ahead of him in the scoring pecking order. Brown isn’t the most efficient player, but Maxey shot 41.9% on catch-and-shoot threes, the 17th-best mark among players with at least 60 games played and at least three such attempts per game. Embiid had the most catch-and-shoot two-pointers per game last season, and he’s one of the most efficient interior scorers of all time. Despite averaging just 0.6 fewer assists per game last season, Maxey isn’t the same level as a playmaker as James, so The King should emerge as the lead ball-handler and passer.

On paper, New York is a difficult matchup, as it conceded the sixth-fewest assists per game during the regular season and the fewest during its dominant run to the title. Chemistry also won’t be an issue, as the Knicks returned every member of their championship rotation other than backup center Mitchell Robinson. However, even during the postseason, New York allowed a slightly above-average number of wide-open threes, so it is susceptible to drive-and-kick playmakers like James, especially if Karl-Anthony Towns plays drop coverage. James has had at least eight assists in two of his three games against the Knicks sine they traded for Towns and Mikal Bridges prior to the 2024/25 season.