3 camp battles to watch: The small forward rotation
Small forward should be a position of strength for the Sixers this year, especially after two major free agency reacquisitions. The team came to an agreement with Furkan Korkmaz early in free agency, bringing him back on a three-year, $15 million deal. Then, in a somewhat surprising move later on in the process, the Sixers also brought back last year’s starting small forward Danny Green on a two-year, $20 million contract.
Between those two and Matisse Thybulle, there are probably three starter-level small forwards currently on the Sixers. However, the minutes dynamics here should be pretty compelling, especially if the team decides to start load managing the 34-year-old Danny Green as he enters the twilight of his career.
Green is pretty much a known quantity at this point: he’s good for quality spacing, a quick-trigger offensive approach, stout defense, and one boneheaded decision with the ball every game. Korkmaz and Thybulle, though, both have plenty of upside they could display this season.
Thybulle is a defensive savant with some of the best instincts in the league, and his ridiculous steal and block rates were enough to earn an All-Defensive second team nod in just his second season as a pro. Korkmaz has improved his offensive game every year he’s been in the league and set a new career-high for points and three-point attempts per 36 minutes last year.
Which of those two will be first off the bench as Green’s replacement? Which one will start in the case of his absence? The answers to these questions won’t be set in stone after the Sixers training camp, and they could change on a situational basis, but it’ll definitely be a friendly contest to watch in camp.