Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup: Locks, fringe, potential break-ins

Sixers starting lineup: Potential break-ins

• Matisse Thybulle, Tyrese Maxey

The path for Matisse Thybulle would likely involve severe regression from Danny Green. Thybulle is already a tremendous defender and an important building block for Philadelphia. If Green struggles and Thybulle shows greater consistency from 3-point range, Rivers could opt to prioritize youth.

That situation, frankly, is unlikely. Thybulle was essentially  offensively last season, and without a serious tweak to his mechanics, he may never become even a league-average shooter. Green is getting older, but he’s still a career 40 percent 3-point shooter with over a decade of strong defense on his resume — not to mention two rings in the past two seasons as a starter.

For Maxey, the path is even more difficult. While I’m optimistic in Maxey’s long-term outlook, he’s a rookie entering a historically short training camp in a season where familiarity between teammates and coaching staff is not yet established.

On the surface, Maxey brings a lot of what the Sixers lack. He’s a ferocious defender and a capable playmaking valve on the perimeter. He’s not a point guard, but he’s not selfish either, and his ability to create shots on his own is something Philadelphia is still short on. If Maxey — considered a lottery talent by many — can blow expectations out of the water, we may have something here.

Again, Maxey is a rookie who won’t get much time to acclimate in training camp, and the NBA is historically unfavorable to rookie guards. He would also need to outstrip Shake Milton, who fills a similar vein in the rotation and clearly has more trust from Rivers at this point. Don’t get your hopes up.