Philadelphia 76ers' 2020-21 point guard depth chart

The Philadelphia 76ers have non-traditional depth at the point guard position.

There isn’t a traditional point guard on the Philadelphia 76ers‘ roster this season. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have solid depth at the position either. Based on roster construction, below is potentially what the depth chart could look at on the season opener.

Starter: Ben Simmons

I’ve written on this in the past, but based on the moves made Ben Simmons appears to be the team’s point guard, even if the 6-foot-10 playmaker isn’t labeling himself as a point guard, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN. He will be running the team’s offense as he has been thus far in his career. He is by far the best player to do it on the roster and the only one capable of being a full-time point guard. Last season, Simmons averaged 8.0 assists and 3.5 turnovers.

Backup: Shake Milton

When I wrote about the backup point guard job by committee, I didn’t have Shake Milton being the primary backup. However, that was before training camp and before Tyrese Maxey missed part of camp with COVID-19.

With Maxey missing part of training camp, it makes sense that Milton should be the primary playmaker off the bench to begin the season, despite his natural position is probably at shooting guard. He was for most of last year while averaging 2.6 assists and 1.2 turnovers.

Third String: Tyrese Maxey

In college, Maxey averaged 3.2 assists and 2.2 turnovers. The future for the rookie is bright, but he will probably have to start off the season as an understudy. This doesn’t mean that the combo guard can’t quickly surpass Milton as the primary backup, but it probably won’t happen during training camp.

Reserve: Seth Curry

Don’t be surprised to see Seth Curry run point guard at times, but up to this point in his career, he hasn’t shown much playmaking skills outside of his dribbling. With the Dallas Mavericks last year, Curry averaged 1.9 assists and 1.0 turnover a game. While Curry probably won’t the primary playmaker very often, he will probably will the secondary one whenever he’s on the court.

Others: Derrick Walton Jr.

Currently, Derrick Walton Jr. is still on the roster, but it’s unlikely he’s still on the roster opening day. The Sixers currently have 15 players under guaranteed deals, with Justin Anderson on a partially-guaranteed contract. Walton will probably be on Philly’s G-League team, the Delaware Blue Coats, if the league plays this season.

Grading the main roster moves. dark. Next

The Philadelphia 76ers have an unconventionally point guard depth chart with no player fitting the mold of a traditional playmaker. Still, the Sixers should be fine at the position to begin the year.

Philadelphia 76ers’ 2020-21 projected point guard depth chart

By Lucas Johnson | Dec 13, 2020