Sixers: Projecting the 2022-23 starting five and bench unit

Sixers main backup wing: Danuel House Jr.

It’s fair to argue that Danuel House should start on the wing. He’s a better player than Matisse Thybulle right now — he’s good (if not as good as Thybulle) on defense, and he’s a polished spot-up shooter and off-ball cutter with experience playing off of James Harden. His renaissance in Utah last season earned him a healthy bi-annual exception from Philly, and he should step right into a major role.

That being said, Thybulle has been around Doc Rivers longer and he is a special defensive prospect. That, combined with the opportunity to increase Thybulle’s trade value ahead of a potentially pivotal trade deadline, will probably keep the youngster in the starting five (if only nominally).

Even if Thybulle starts, there’s a good chance House closes more games. He’s a better option late in games due to his floor-spacing ability, and he’s a more than adequate wing stopper in Thybulle’s place. House has a fairly limited offensive skill set — he’s not going to do a ton of dribbling or self-creation — but he does the little things well and takes a lot of 3s. The Sixers just need guys who take open 3s with confidence, and House supplies that.

This is by far the deepest team of the Joel Embiid era. For the first time, the Sixers are going to be able to go 10-deep without much stress. The likes of Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz are going to get spot minutes, not large slices of the pie. House is the kind of two-way wing the Sixers have too often lacked in years past, and he should have no problem playing his role next to two of the league’s more ball-dominant superstars.