76ers projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Philadelphia 76ers starting power forward: P.J. Tucker
If Melton does ultimately start, it will be at P.J. Tucker’s expense. Now 38 years old, Tucker is firmly in the twilight of his career. The Sixers handed him a hefty three-year, $33 million contract last summer, but there’s no longer a burning financial motivation to start Tucker. If the productivity isn’t there, he could get demoted. Especially with a coach less married to the idea of Tucker than Doc Rivers was.
That said, Tucker is still the preseason favorite to start barring a trade of Harden-sized magnitude. He’s a dogged defender with a reputation he has earned through blood, sweat, and hustle. Listed at 6-foot-6, Tucker can still guard one through five on a good day. He spent plenty of time chasing the league’s best ball-handlers over screens last season and he also shut down Nikola Jokic for an entire half. There aren’t many players who can match Tucker’s versatility on the defensive end, even at 38 years old.
The offense is where Tucker could lose his job. He shot 39.3 percent from deep last season, but that number is deeply misleading. The volume simply wasn’t there (only 1.9 attempts in 25.6 minutes per game) and his confidence was gone. He would frequently record-scratch on open looks from the corner, his favorite area of the court. Too often the Sixers’ offense came to a screeching halt because of Tucker’s hesitance. He doesn’t offer much beyond the corner 3s, so another year of regression beyond the arc will make it hard to justify another full season in the starting five.
Primary backup power forward: Tobias Harris
This is probably Harris’ natural position and he will spend plenty of time here. Even if Tucker starts, expect Melton to close games on a regular basis. Harris tends to match up better with power forwards: it allows him to use his quickness to beat slower defenders driving the lane, rather than getting stuck in no-man’s with a plucky wing on his hip.
Defensively, this is probably Harris’ preferred position too. He’s capable of switching around and he has gotten demonstrably better at hanging with quicker players on the perimeter, but Harris is still prone to lapses in attention and slow-footedness in space that can be partially avoided with a move to the four.
Other players who could receive minutes at power forward: Danuel House Jr., Paul Reed, Mo Bamba
When Mo Bamba met with Sixers media for the first time, he referenced his time in Orlando and Los Angeles. Specifically, he referenced his ability to share the floor with another big. While there’s valid reason for skepticism regarding an Embiid-Bamba frontcourt, Nick Nurse did like to double and triple up on length with the Raptors. If he sees the path to utility on defense, maybe Nurse gives it a shot. The Sixers aren’t exactly swimming with wing depth at the moment, but there are six true centers on the roster. Maybe, just maybe, one or two of those true “centers” ends up at power forward.
The most likely candidate in that instance is Paul Reed, who has already had conversations with Nick Nurse likening him to Pascal Siakam. Reed’s skill development has a long way to go before he reaches Siakam territory, but he’s traditionally undersized for a center at 6-foot-9 and he’s quick enough to guard fours on the perimeter. In fact, Reed’s best defensive position would probably be at the four with Embiid providing a backstop at the rim, empowering Reed to gamble and wreak havoc with his activity level.