While we’re still a long way from the dawn of the 2024-25 season, it’s the right and ripe time to get those projections and prognostications out. The Philadelphia 76ers, bannered by a semi-overhaul this offseason, will certainly be one of the most common recipients of bold predictions as we approach the upcoming campaign.
The 76ers will have a lot of questions awaiting them in the coming months, and one of which is what will the starting lineup look like come opening night? Beyond the obvious ones, who should be a part of the opening group to kick off the season?
Building the perfect starting lineup for the 76ers on opening night
Unless Nick Nurse and the entire coaching staff becomes demented, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid have their positions locked. The 76ers do have one of, if not the most talented Big Three in the NBA, and those three will take turns decimating the defense with their varied skill sets and attacks offensively.
As for the other backcourt spot, a very sensible option to man the position is Ricky Council IV. Despite Nurse’s proclivity for veteran commodities, the young wing offers the necessary intangibles and defense that would make life a lot easier for their three stars.
Nurse will definitely look into starting Kyle Lowry again, but it would be more productive to give the full-time point guard job to Maxey and let the veteran spearhead the second unit.
Meanwhile, George needs another forward next to him on the starting unit. Fit-wise, Caleb Martin should get the nod. While Kelly Oubre Jr. was surprisingly effective last season as a last-resort operator, the team would be able to maximize his strengths by moving him to the bench as a designated scorer.
Martin, a jack of all trades, could reprise the role that Nicolas Batum assumed last season as a connector on both ends. While the latter packs more court sense and passing, Martin offers more upside as an auxiliary piece who has experience taking on a more prominent role when need be.
A Maxey-Council-Oubre-George-Embiid starting lineup has the makings of a unit that should thrive on both ends with as little overlap in between as possible. Nick Nurse will be the one making the decisive call, but it’s difficult to build a more optimal starting five than this, at least to start the season off.