The Philadelphia 76ers already have a litany of problems ahead of the upcoming season, but their biggest one could be a handicap no one is really talking about — their lack of viable options to log heavy minutes at forward.
Thanks to Paul George possibly missing the start of the season due to his most recent injury which prompted him to undergo surgery, the 76ers will be without their starting — and best — small forward. That spells huge trouble for the squad, especially since they were already dealing with a fundamental lack of size since last year.
Between Kelly Oubre Jr. and Justin Edwards, Nick Nurse will have a couple of players who can step in and fill George’s void, just like they did last season. However, neither of those players profile as starter-quality forwards, and this quandary definitely hands Philly a huge handicap entering the 2025-26 campaign.
Nurse and the coaching staff will be forced to make do with ragtag and funky lineup combinations for the time being, especially with the aforesaid players also playing a lot of minutes as small-ball power forwards. And at first blush, that would, of course, prompt the team to go exclusively small for the most part.
The 76ers face a big trouble with their small forward spot
Knowing Nurse’s proclivity for proven and tested commodities, he will most likely have the veteran players man the role for the time being. As a result, fans could be treated to a heavy dose of Oubre and Eric Gordon to kick things off — and that already sounds as gloomy as possible.
Trendon Watford could be another option, but he is best suited playing as a power forward who can be malleable on both ends, akin to the role Guerschon Yabusele had for the 76ers last season. Playing him a position down would be counterproductive given the team’s glaring lack of size.
Should George indeed miss time — which he probably would — Philadelphia could also look into playing three-guard lineups more often. That could feature rookie VJ Edgecombe playing as a nominal small forward. Also, Quentin Grimes (assuming he eventually re-signs with the 76ers) has ample experience functioning as a small-ball 3.
Nevertheless, what is indelible is the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers will be outsized on a nightly basis until Paul George corrects his body. Their roster is simply not built to withstand the absence of their sizeable players, and their guards will have to do the heavy lifting early on for better or for worse.