76ers Roster Battles to Watch During 2021 NBA Preseason
The Philadelphia 76ers are both a team in transition and an NBA championship contender.
The transition part revolves around the ongoing Ben Simmons saga, but as soon as that is solved, Philly will resume its perennial push for the title.
While this roster will remain incomplete without a Simmons swap, it's already clear where congestion will cause some compelling camp battles.
Starting Point Guard
The Sixers need a starting point guard. Say what you want about Simmons' limitations, he's still an elite defender and an impact passer.
If Philly doesn't scratch that itch in the Simmons trade—or doesn't a broker a deal by opening night—this could be a fight between Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey for floor time. Neither can match Simmons as a playmaker, but they obviously offer more offensive range and, if they can discover the keys to consistency, might eventually offer more shot-creation.
Milton is the better shooter of the two, and his larger frame—6'5", 205 pounds to Maxey's 6'2", 200 pounds—might be easier to fit alongside Seth Curry. Maxey has better burst and a higher ceiling as a passer. The competition could come down to what coach Doc Rivers wants in his starting point guard.
In a perfect world, rookie first-rounder Jaden Springer would obliterate all reasonable expectations and put his name in the mix, too. In reality, the 19-year-old needs more time and polish to challenge for a significant role.
Wing Rotation
Like most modern NBA teams, the Sixers don't have the perfect wing. Tobias Harris might come closest, and in today's league, he's not even a wing anymore.
Philly has options on the wing, it's just that each requires some give and take.
Danny Green offers the best two-way blend, but the threat of age keeps rising for the 34-year-old. Matisse Thybulle is a brilliant defender, but he squeezes the offensive spacing as a non-shooter. Furkan Korkmaz brings the opposite: good shooting but leaky defense. Isaiah Joe has flashed intriguing three-and-D potential, but he logged less than 400 minutes last season as a rookie second-rounder.
Again, it's a decent collection—stronger when considering Milton and Maxey will factor in the mix, too—but there isn't a player head-and-shoulders above the rest. That should make this battle ultra-competitive throughout training camp and into the regular season.
Backup Big
The Sixers have scrambled things around behind Joel Embiid. Again.
Two years ago, they used Al Horford to help soak up the non-Embiid minutes. Last season, they most often tasked Dwight Howard with the assignment.
This year, a new crew will try its hand at replacing one of the best players in the business. Andre Drummond is the most recognizable newcomer and brings a lot of what Howard did in terms of size, strength and interior activity. Rookie Charles Bassey offers explosion and flashes of floor-spacing. If the Sixers would sacrifice size for shooting, 6'7" Georges Niang could get some (super) small-ball opportunities as a 40.4 percent career three-point shooter.
Add in versatile sophomore Paul Reed, and the Sixers could take this position a number of different directions. It's probably Drummond's role to lose early on, but in a perfect world, Philly would find it now has an option at center for every non-Embiid situation.