The Philadelphia 76ers made two of the biggest swing moves in the entire league this summer. They traded for Jaylen Brown in a blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics and then signed LeBron James in free agency. Now, it seems as though they have a fairly obvious starting lineup to roll out. But in reality, nobody wants to talk about the starting lineup conundrum they have.
On paper, the first five are clear: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Brown, James, and Joel Embiid. However, the reality of the situation may be that Dean Wade should start. Having five on-ball-dominant players playing next to each other in the starting lineup may not be as smart as sliding an off-ball guy in there to complement the rest of the group. Plus, the defense.
Wade won’t start. There’s almost no chance. But it feels like it could be a smart – yet controversial – move for Nick Nurse to make with this team.
Should 76ers actually start Dean Wade?
When you have as much talent as the Sixers have on their roster, it seems like an obvious choice to just start the best players. And in all likelihood, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
None of the Sixers’ five stars are going to want to come off the bench. And in all honesty, there’s no real situation where they should. Well, except perhaps the situation the 76ers are currently in.
All five of the Sixers’ best players are primarily on-ball guys. Maxey can play off the ball because of his elite three-point shot. Edgecombe isn’t an amazing three-point shooter, but he can play off the ball, too. That said, both are definitely better with the ball in their hands.
Brown isn’t an amazing off-ball player. Neither is James. And Embiid definitely needs the ball in his hands – usually in the post – to be at his best.
So, wouldn’t it be smart to bring someone off the bench so they can have the ball in their hands more? Then, Wade can slide into the starting lineup as an off-ball guy, playing off everyone else.
Plus, the 76ers don’t have a ton of great perimeter defenders amongst their stars. Brown can do it, but he’s not always consistent. James is 41 years old. Maxey isn’t amazing, and Edgecombe is pretty average. They signed Wade to help them on defense.
Edgecombe would be the primary candidate to come off the bench. He could run the second unit, and Wade would bring an off-ball presence and point-of-attack defense to the first five.
It won’t happen. But it’s certainly something the Sixers should be thinking about.
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