Even though the NBA offseason is not yet over, ahead of the regular season beginning in October, the Philadelphia 76ers seem to be finished transacting for the most part with reports of the front office seeking more depth pieces having already dwindled. Nevertheless, the franchise has managed to put itself in a firm position to be considered the biggest winner of the summer.
Having added Paul George, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, Andre Drummond, and most recently, Reggie Jackson, 76ers fans can have a greater sense of security going into the 2024-25 campaign. However, the team's depth and size, or lack thereof, at this particular position could raise a lot of eyebrows come playoff time.
The 76ers badly need to address their lack of size at forward
On July 6, Martin shocked many in the NBA circles when he rejected an offer from Miami that would have netted him about $65 million over the next five years. Instead, he chose to sign a four-year, $32 million deal with Philly, providing much-needed depth for the team at forward after a mass exodus of their players from last season.
Martin is listed at 6'5", and even though he does his best to combat being an undersized forward with his activity on the defensive end, solid three-point shooting, and willingness to move without the ball, at the end of the day, he's still undersized.
That Philadelphia only has a single, rangy forward in George should be a cause of concern. Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr., another 76ers holdover, are wings by nature, and shouldn't be banked on to bang with much bigger bodies like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum on a nightly basis.
With New York having a robust armory of bulky wings and forwards and Boston coming off a title run where they dominated through their versatility on both ends and teams being unable to defend against their size, the structure of one's frontcourt could be the difference between a championship run and a second-round exit in the East.
With Oubre, George, and Martin being the only sensible choices at forward for Philly at the moment, adding size and depth at forward has to be high on the 76ers' priority list, whether now or during the midseason.