Sixers: 3 potential starting lineup combos without Ben Simmons

Potential Sixers starting lineup without Ben Simmons No. 3

1. Tyrese Maxey
2. Danny Green
3. Matisse Thybulle
4. Tobias Harris
5. Joel Embiid

And here, we have the best of both worlds, so to speak. Tyrese Maxey can initiate the offense, put pressure on the rim, and open up scoring avenues for teammates. Matisse Thybulle can guard the opposition’s best player and do his damnedest to disrupt passing lanes. The defense doesn’t suffer critically, and Seth Curry gets to cook in a sixth man role — a role he has traditionally thrived in.

The obvious caveat is shooting. Maxey attempted a ton of 3s in his two Summer League appearances, and there is a clear emphasis on improving his volume of 3s (both pulling up and spotting up) next season. Until the proof is in the proverbial pudding, however, teams are going to treat Maxey like the 30.1 percent 3-point shooter he was last season.

When you couple Maxey’s perimeter inefficiency with Thybulle’s clunky jump shot, it becomes more difficult to optimize the space around Joel Embiid. While Embiid has never really had “optimal” spacing in the Sixers’ offense, the goal post-Simmons should be to feature Embiid as fruitfully as possible. Next success of next year’s team — until Simmons is traded, and quite possibly after he’s traded — will rest almost entirely on the 7-footer’s broad shoulders.

All that said, this feels like the most sensible starting point for next season. Assuming the Simmons saga drags on, this starting five would give the Sixers a legitimate lead ball-handler — which is absolutely essential to a functional NBA offense — and a defensive juggernaut on the wing, who can work in concert with Embiid to stifle opposing teams.

The shooting is a concern, and yes, both Maxey and Thybulle still have a lot to prove. That said, Maxey’s work ethic has been nothing if not celebrated, and Thybulle is already one of the NBA’s truly elite defenders. Both Harris and Green shoot a fair amount of 3s (Harris should shoot more) while Embiid can space the floor himself when need be. Maxey’s ability to pressure the rim is completely unique in the pantheon of recent Sixers point guards, and you need at least one good on-ball defender. You can still work Curry into the game for 24-28 minutes a night, depending on matchups. There’s also a case for starting Curry over Green — he was significantly better in the playoffs — but it’s hard to play two small guards simultaneously for long stretches.