3 Dark horse candidates to eventually break into the 76ers starting lineup

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to have one of the strongest starting fives in the league, headed by Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. Kelly Oubre and Caleb Martin should hold the two remaining spots. They have two more roster spots that they can fill with players at the veteran's minimum, but their roster is not going to change dramatically until the start of the 2024-25 season.

Philadelphia filled its bench with solid veterans like Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon, while they have brought back Andre Drummond, who proved in the past that he can handle the non-Embiid minutes with ease. Still, Nick Nurse is known for his ability to shuffle its pickings, and many players on the roster could find an active role throughout the season.

More importantly, the 76ers need new 'heroes' that can push the team over the hump and allow it to thrive even when its stars are not playing. Nurse could accomplish this by putting together a star-studded lineup or by blitzing one of his superstars within the bench unit. Obviously, the 76ers will need to see players stepping up their game throughout the season.

Evidently, the starting five begins with Embiid, while George and Maxey could share their minutes between the first and second units to allow the team to be more effective with Embiid sitting. In any case, the 76ers will need plenty of production from their bench unit, and maybe some can force Nick Nurse to create room in the starting unit for them.

Kyle Lowry started in several games during the previous season. His veteran presence allowed the 76ers to offload some pressure off Tyrese Maxey in the point guard position. Being one year older and heading into maybe the last season of his career, I don't expect Lowry to replicate his past season role. However, they're sneaky picks that can become starters at some point during the season.

Eric Gordon could replicate his former production in Houston for the 76ers

Eric Gordon was a starting-caliber shooting guard during his prime. That's evident from the fact that he was part of the only team in the West and could go against the powerful Golden State Warriors. Even last season, on a depth-ridden team in Phoenix, Gordon snapped 24 starts and averaged a solid 11.0 points per game on 37.8% shooting from beyond the arc.

Gordon will need more to sneak into the starting group, with Kelly Oubre Jr. being named the starting shooting guard this season. Oubre will have to guard against smaller opponents and stay in front of explosive guards, so it will be tougher for him to be effective on both ends. If that's the case, I will not be surprised to see Gordon boosting his minutes and stepping up.

Gordon is nowhere near the good defender Oubre is, but he can score in a hurry. Just four years ago, he was putting up almost 18 points per contest, so if he can replicate some of that with the Sixers, then it will not be a surprise to sneak into a starting role. Still, I expect Oubre to be the closer, but Gordon will add an extra layer to the lineup considering he finds a lot of openings with the rest of the starters on the floor.

With Embiid, Maxey, and George demanding the bulk of the defense's attention, Gordon could be able to score even more than expected and become an integral part of the 76ers starting group.