Which players on the 76ers roster will be a part of their regular rotation, and what will their roles be?
STARTERS
PG Tyrese Maxey
SG James Harden
SF Tobias Harris
PF PJ Tucker
C Joel Embiid
BENCH ROTATION
Montrezl Harrell
Danuel House
De’Anthony Melton
Matisse Thybulle
DEEP BENCH – VETERANS
Charlie Brown
Furkan Korkmaz
Shake Milton
George Niang
Trevelin Queen
DEEP BENCH – DEVELOPING YOUTH
Charles Bassey
Julian Champagnie
Jaden Springer
LIKELY TO BE WAIVED
Michael Foster
Isaiah Joe
Paul Reed
POSITION BATTLES
This is one team where the starting lineup seems pretty set. But with their newfound depth, there will be some questions regarding who are the first options off the bench. Players like Korkmaz, Milton, and Niang, who played more major roles for the 76ers in the past, may find their minutes reduced so the team can carve out time for newcomers House, Melton, and PJ Tucker. The rotation may depend on matchups; players like Melton and Thybulle will be called upon when the team needs to string together some stops while players like Korkmaz and Milton will be looked upon to provide a scoring boost.
The backup center spot seemed to be open until the team signed Montrezl Harrell signed in free agency. Now players like Charles Bassey and Paul Reed, either of whom could be quality backups, may be fighting just to keep their spot on the roster. Harrell should be a big improvement over DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond, the veterans who backed up Embiid last year.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The 76ers are counting on Tucker and his defensive prowess, but he’s going to be 37 years old. He’s already an offensive liability; if he loses a step or starts to have the type of nagging injuries that often sneak up on older players, he could quickly become ineffective.
Speaking of nagging injuries, the team needs to be prepared for the possibility that James Harden may occasionally have a flare-up and miss some games. Any one of Melton, Thybulle, Milton, and Korkmaz might find themselves pressed into a larger role. Whichever one of them flourishes in spot duty could establish themselves as the first option off the bench when Harden returns to the starting lineup.