What Should The Sixers Starting Lineup Be To Start The Season?

There has been an unprecedented amount of change inside the Sixers organization this offseason. From a new coaching staff, new front office, to a ton of new faces on the roster, the Sixers have a lot of pieces to put together before the 2020-21 season begins in just a few weeks.
Today, let’s take a look at these new pieces and put them together. What will the Sixers starting lineup look like? There are definitely a few options – none of which however, include Dwight Howard at the four next to Joel Embiid (shoutout First Take).
The Obvious
I think it’s pretty safe to say that Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris will be the three locks in the starting lineup. The only way this changes is if any of them is injured or get traded. Trades are highly unlikely. Daryl Morey has publicly stated multiple times they are not trading Ben or Joel.
Tobias on the other hand, you can never rule it out completely. While Morey and Rivers have publicly stated multiple times how they plan to use Tobias, you can never rule out him being traded. Highly unlikely, but if things don’t go as planned; perhaps he’s moved by the trade deadline.
The Battle For The Two Guard Spot
Seth Curry, Shake Milton, and Tyrese Maxey all have legitimate cases to be the starting shooting guard. Seth Curry will likely take this spot due to his experience and the fact that he’s one of the greatest shooters of all time. Curry is arguably the best shooter this team has had during the entire Ben and Joel era.
Shake Milton could win the job due to the nice stretch he had last season. Milton is the most familiar with the Sixers system and playing alongside Ben and Joel. I don’t think that matters much considering there is a whole new regime in Philly. Shake is interesting and a very good shooter with nice length and playmaking ability. I would like to see him come off the bench and provide a nice jolt to the offense as needed.
As for the rookie. Maxey is the least likely of the three to start due to the fact that he’s so young and unknown at the NBA level. That doesn’t mean he can’t develop into a starter as the season goes on. Maxey will have to silence a lot of critics about his jump shot to have a real shot at starting on the Sixers, a team that’s all of the sudden stacked with shooters. If he does that, there’s too much talent and potential to not start working him into the starting lineup.
Small Forward
With the roster as currently is, there’s probably only two guys competing for this spot. The veteran two-way sharpshooter Danny Green, and the young defensive prospect Matisse Thybulle. Green most likely gets the nod due to his experience and long resume of being a very impactful role player on championship teams.
Matisse can how ever beat him out. It would require Matisse proving that he can space the floor consistently, as well as being an absolute game wrecker on the defensive end. Thybulle’s defense is something he certainly showed flashes of this past season. Offensively, he’s not quite there yet and will need to improve on that end to play starter minutes. If Danny Green is aging really bad and not knocking down threes at a high enough clip, there’s a good chance Matisse could be called upon to start at small forward.
Checkout My Video Breakdown on the Potential Sixers Starting 5!
Mandatory Credit; Sports Illustrated