The Sixers kick off the preseason on Monday, Oct. 3 in Brooklyn — a game that will have no shortage of national attention as Ben Simmons makes his first NBA appearance in over a year… against his former team. In theory, at least.
With four preseason games on the docket, Philadelphia will have a chance to incorporate new pieces, build chemistry, and wage position battles before the games count. Even with the Sixers’ vastly improved depth, Doc Rivers will have difficult decisions to make.
We know the starting five: Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey. The bench unit becomes much more difficult to pinpoint. The only reserve who feels absolutely, unequivocally cemented in his role right now is De’Anthony Melton. The rest of the rotation is in flux.
Here are three position battles to keep your eyes on this preseason.
Sixers preseason position battle — Matisse Thybulle vs. Shake Milton
Doc Rivers went nine-deep after James Harden’s arrival last season. The Sixers’ depth, however, could tempt him to return to his beloved 10-deep structure (as has been hinted at in training camp), even if the stars are staggered.
With Melton locked at guard and Danuel House Jr. the house favorite at wing (a truly accidental pun), there are two “wing” positions up for grabs. Heck, I’m not sure House is guaranteed his spot either, but the Sixers signed him to the bi-annual exception and his skill set is a clear fit.
For now, we will pencil in Georges Niang as the third wing behind Melton and House. And thusly, we arrive at Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton. It will ultimately depend on what Rivers wants out of his fourth wing: Melton and House both hit plenty of 3s, and Melton can handle the rock a little bit. Does he want more playmaking and self-creation a la Shake, or does he want to further expand the second unit’s defensive ceiling with Thybulle.
The clear favorite here is Thybulle, who has been praised glowingly by Rivers and teammates at camp. He appears to have “fixed” his jumper to some extent, and he does have two All-Defensive teams on his resumé — that’s nothing to scoff at. On the flip side, Shake was the Sixers’ best reserve in the playoffs and he’s not a complete zero on defense. He’s a better shooter than Thybulle and provides another source of on-ball dynamism behind Harden and Maxey.
Until we see extended proof of Thybulle’s jumper in actual games, I think it’s fair to argue that Milton is the better player. That said, Thybulle’s defense is hard to ignore and Melton does essentially do Shake’s job better than Shake. There is also a world in which both play, and either House or Georges Niang is the odd man out. But, this does feel like the real battle.
Sixers preseason position battle — Furkan Korkmaz vs. Isaiah Joe
The odds favor neither Furkan Korkmaz nor Isaiah Joe getting much playing time next season. This is the deepest team of the Embiid era and there is too much proven talent ahead of them. Joe has accomplished very little at the NBA level and Korkmaz was downright terrible last season.
That said, both occupy a similar archetypal vein on the roster. It will be interesting to see who emerges from the preseason with more stock to his name: Korkmaz, the veteran who Doc trusted once upon a time, or the young-but-promising Joe entering the final year of his rookie contract.
My early bet is on Korkmaz. At media day, he mentioned nerve damage in his shooting hand that would account for his sudden and inexplicable shooting woes after the All-Star break last season. Korkmaz has been a reliable 3-point shooter his entire career, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see him to return to form now that he’s healthy.
Rivers has always prioritized experience and comfort level within the offense. Korkmaz has established chemistry with Embiid and Harden — Joe has not. Korkmaz also provides a bit more diversity of skill on offense: he ran backup point guard for a stretch last season and was quite successful.
That said, it’s past time to see what Joe can offer in extended minutes. If the Sixers don’t use Joe this season, he will enter restricted free agency with very little to his name. That could make it difficult for the Sixers to justify bringing him back, and one has to think Joe’s next team would use him more frequently.
Joe is more than good enough to challenge Korkmaz behind the 3-point line. No long ago, Joe was averaging over 10 attempts per game at Arkansas. He can hit shots from every angle, whether it’s standstill on the wing or flying around a screen Redick-style. He’s also a much better defender than Korkmaz, which has to be a factor when projecting toward the playoffs.
Whoever wins this battle could merge into the previous battle. Thybulle, Milton, Joe, Korkmaz — these guys are all fighting for the same minutes.
Sixers preseason position battle — Montrezl Harrell vs. Paul Reed
There has been talk of Paul Reed sharing the floor with Joel Embiid. While it’s promising to see Doc Rivers so interested in getting his young big man on the floor, I’m doubtful of Reed ever truly thriving at the four spot. At least next season, unless his offensive development behind the scenes has been truly transformative.
Reed is ultimately a backup center — and so is new arrival Montrezl Harrell, who signed a two-year minimum contract late in the summer. Harrell has been widely proclaimed as the favorite to eat up minutes behind Embiid, and for good reason. He’s a personal favorite of James Harden, he played the best basketball of his career under Rivers in LA, and he’s an established vet.
Harrell will probably “win” this battle. He’s one heck of an offensive player and every advanced stat qualifies him as great in the regular season. His fit next to Harden in the second unit is more natural and he’s going to rebound just as well as Reed. Here’s the thing, though: Harrell is an 82-game player, not a 16-game player. His defensive flaws are easily exploited in the playoffs, to the point where keeping him on the floor is often a grave error. Reed, as we saw last season, can survive and even thrive in the playoffs.
In Reed, the Sixers have a genuinely special defensive talent entering the final year of his rookie contract. It would behoove them to test the extent of his abilities before that contract runs out. Reed has been praised rather profusely at camp too: teammates and coaches alike have noted his work ethic, and he purportedly added eight inches to his vertical over the summer. True or not, Reed’s competitive spirit and drive to succeed can never be questioned.
There is also no doubt that Reed is driven to prove himself, especially after the Harrell signing. He is going to play hard in the preseason because that’s his approach to every game. He is going to play like he’s competing for minutes, because ultimately, he is. And if Reed plays up to his potential, he’s more than capable of planting the seeds of doubt in Rivers’ mind. Harrell is a great regular season backup, but that’s all he is. Reed has two-way upside that stretches beyond what Harrell is capable of offering.