Possible Starting Lineups for the Philadelphia 76ers
With the NBA season just a few months away, the Sixers roster is shaping into its final form. Let’s take a look at the possible starting lineups we could see on opening night.
Sixers lineup #1: The FES (No Dario)
PG: Markelle Fultz
SG: J.J. Redick
SF: Robert Covington
PF: Ben Simmons
C: Joel Embiid
The main thing that stands out about this lineup is that Dario Saric isn’t in it. It also features Markelle Fultz playing his primary position, and the newly acquired J.J. Redick playing in the starting five.
This group has three to four capable shooters, and two effective distributors in Fultz and Simmons. Also, with Covington and Embiid both on the floor at the same time, Brett Brown would be maximizing the team’s defensive potential, putting one of the league’s best wing defenders and rim protectors on the court at the same time.
PROS:
- Incredible shooting ability between Fultz-Redick-Covington (Embiid too, I guess)
- Very versatile offensively; could be deadly in transition
- Everyone is playing a position they are comfortable in
CONS:
- Dario Saric isn’t starting
- The backcourt could be in trouble in terms of defense
#2: Point Guard Ben Simmons
PG: Ben Simmons
SG: Markelle Fultz
SF: Robert Covington
PF: Dario Saric
C: Joel Embiid
This lineup is probably the most exciting of them all. This features a 6’10 PG running a modern NBA offense. Outside of what the Bucks sometimes do with Giannis Antetokounmpo, this is pretty much unheard of. This lineup also features two number-one picks playing next to one another in the backcourt, and the two 2016 Rookie of the Year finalists playing alongside each other in the frontcourt.
PROS:
- A lot of size (almost three seven-footers)
- Mismatch nightmare (Who’s stopping a 6’10 PG?)
CONS:
- J.J. Redick is getting paid $23M to come off the bench
- Markelle Fultz is playing his secondary position
- Defensive issues could arise when Simmons is asked to defend PGs like John Wall and Russell Westbrook
#3: RoCo 6th Man
PG: Markelle Fultz
SG: J.J. Redick
SF: Ben Simmons
PF: Dario Saric
C: Joel Embiid
The biggest thing to takeaway from this lineup is that it is missing 3rd runner-up for DPOY, Robert Covington. However, this means that the five guys playing are very, very, good at scoring the basketball.
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This is a very athletic lineup that could score, and score quickly. Markelle Fultz would be handed the PG duties on both sides of the ball, and Ben Simmons would be asked to man the wings. This is a very interesting lineup, but one that must be considered carefully, as Embiid is the only proven quality defender of the group.
PROS:
- Every player in the starting lineup excels at scoring
- A lot of height and length
CONS:
- A very weak group defensively; wings and backcourt are vulnerable
- Ben Simmons is playing out of position
So after looking at all these possible lineups, which should Brett Brown go with? I believe he will choose lineup #1: The FES (No Dario).
Despite missing Dario Saric, and not having Ben Simmons man the point, this lineup has the highest potential on both ends of the floor.
There’s enough shooters on the court to put up points from behind the arc for the Sixers, making room for Embiid in the post. With both Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons on the floor at the same time, there are two capable ball handlers and distributors who can get the ball to open teammates.
Defensively, all five players will be expected to defend against their natural position, making things much easier for everyone. With the shot blocking ability of Embiid, Fultz, and Simmons, and the terrific on-ball defense of Robert Covington, teams will have a very hard time getting to the paint, let alone scoring there.
This starting lineup also gives Brett Brown a number of bench combinations he could toy with including the unique talents of T.J. McConnell, Jahlil Okafor, Jerryd Bayless, Amir Johnson, and others.
Next: Bayless and McConnell keys to talented bench
After years of putting together lineups with rosters devoid of talent, Brett Brown will finally be able to craft a talented team capable of winning lots of basketball games.