76ers' star-heavy roster wins with defense and passing at 7-1 ahead of Detroit showdown

The worry about putting LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey on one roster was that four players used to being the main option would get in each other's way. Eight games in, the Philadelphia 76ers are 7-1 and lead the Eastern Conference, and the numbers suggest they have become one of the league's most unselfish teams.

Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia runs through the figures. Philadelphia ranks sixth in the league in assists and is one of four teams with twice as many assists as turnovers. James is averaging 7.3 assists. Embiid's 4.8 per game is more than one assist above his career average. Maxey is scoring close to 30 a night and still averaging 4.3 assists. According to Frank, the Sixers are the only team with four players averaging at least 16 points and four assists.

The defense has changed even more. Philadelphia ranks second in defensive efficiency and second in points allowed, trailing only Detroit in both. Through eight games last season the Sixers gave up 123 points a night. This year that figure is 111. Opponents are shooting 43 percent from the field, and NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that all five starters, including 21-year-old V.J. Edgecombe, rank among the league's top 25 in defensive rating. Frank credits Nick Nurse for getting a lineup of future Hall of Famers to buy in, describing a group that has learned to leave "their egos at the front door."

Role players Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jabari Walker have taken on the same approach. Edgecombe's scoring has dipped to 12.7 points a game as he adjusts to fewer touches.

What it means for Wednesday in Detroit

The timing makes Wednesday's game in Detroit a real test. The 6-1 Pistons are the one team defending better than Philadelphia, and they handed the Sixers their only loss, 106-93 in Philadelphia. That was the lowest-scoring night of the Sixers' season. Since then Philadelphia has won four straight, and three of those wins came by five points or fewer, at Indiana, against New York and at Charlotte. The streak ended with a 126-107 home win over Chicago. The Sixers are 3-0 on the road.

ESPN lists Detroit without center Jalen Duren (hamstring) and Isaiah Joe (hip). Philadelphia is missing Dominick Barlow (back) and has lost Ariel Hukporti for the season with an Achilles injury.

The Pistons are favored on this site's board, which tracks 12 venues. Novig has Detroit at -130 and Philadelphia at +127. BetRivers has the best Sixers moneyline price at +130. Novig sets the spread at 2.5 points, with Philadelphia +2.5 at +102. BetRivers is the outlier at +3.5 (-114). Novig's total is 219.5, a point above BetRivers' 218.5. The gaps between venues are narrow, and the sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 2.5% to 4.8%.

The board still makes Detroit a slight favorite at home. If Philadelphia's defense matches the Pistons', the team-first approach will have passed its toughest test of the season so far.