The Philadelphia 76ers should easily have one of the most lethal and talented starting fives in the NBA next season with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey now being joined by nine-time All-Star Paul George. However, that’s only three of the five slots in the opening group, leaving room for two more.
Training camp, which opens in a couple of weeks, will determine who gets the final two nods in the starting lineup. The coaching staff will have a lot of options to choose from to mix and match with their big-three. But as for the starting shooting guard role, who should bag the position to start the season off?
Who should be the starting shooting guard for the 76ers next season?
The audition for Maxey’s running mate in the backcourt will be a tightly contested one. The first one on deck is veteran Eric Gordon who, on paper, makes the most sense given Nick Nurse’s premium on experience and three-point shooting from the position. However, his shot-making has waned in recent years, and his defense now leaves a lot to be desired after a solid stretch of being a pesky stopper on that end.
Another readily available option for the squad is rookie Jared McCain, a natural combo guard with a naturall affinity for scoring. However, he is also a question mark on defense at this juncture, and needs the ball in his hands to fully showcase his skill set as a shot creator.
Last season, Nurse also moved Kyle Lowry to the starting unit, pushing Maxey into the nominal shooting guard role. While that is another route he can take, it undersells Maxey’s capabilities as a full-time lead guard. The veteran makes more sense, at this point in his career, as a bench stabilizer.
Without a compelling name yet, here’s a better option: Ricky Council IV. Philadelphia clearly has no need for even more scoring and mouths to feed in the starting unit, and the young wing has the skill set to thrive in a streamlined role offensively. If he manages to improve his three-point shooting, he should be a strong contender to bag the role thanks to his aggressive on-ball defense and rim penetration.
The 76ers haven’t played a game yet, and while it’s probably too early to make a prognosis, my early bet is on Ricky Council IV to play the role of Maxey’s sidekick in the backcourt to start the season off.