Way too early prediction for the 76ers 2023-24 starting lineup

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May 11, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) smiles after a play against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter in game six of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Shooting Guard: Tyrese Maxey

Maxey is the incumbent shooting guard and was quietly terrific last season, breaking 20 points per game for the first time in his career and notching career-high shooting percentages both inside and outside (43.4 percent) the arc. Three years into his career he is a dynamic complementary scorer but the 76ers may need him to be much more next season.

Self-creation opportunities Maxey had the ball in his hands for an average of 5.1 minutes per game last season, with an average touch time of 4.4 seconds. Those are hefty numbers but nowhere near Harden’s averages and even meaningfully less than Maxey’s numbers for the first part of the 2021-22 season, before the 76ers traded for Harden and he made his debut.

Milton will take some of the responsibility, but the 76ers are going to need Maxey to shoulder a much larger on-ball creation load next season. That’s going to include growing his pick-and-roll chemistry with Embiid — Maxey received 8.1 ball screens per game from Embiid and the 76ers scored an average of 1.08 points per possession in those settings, compared to 20.6 and 1.22 for Harden.

This is where the 76ers are going to find out if Maxey is ready to be their perimeter star.