Nov 4, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) is called for a foul as he attempts to set a screen against Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5), while Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) controls the ball in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports Aaron Doster
The plane is getting ready to touch down on the NBA offseason. The Sixers will hold Media Day on Monday. Training camp will span the rest of the week.
With the offseason winding down, here are some lineup storylines that might surprise you in 2024-25.
Philadelphia has four starters you can probably lock in. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are locked in. Paul George is a star. Even if he wasn't, the Sixers gave him $212 million this summer. He's starting. Adrian Wojnarowski, formerly of ESPN (that is so weird to write), reported that Caleb Martin is expected to start at power forward.
So, that leaves the shooting guard position. Kelly Oubre Jr. probably has the inside track, given his experience with Embiid, Maxey, and Nick Nurse. But, in terms of efficiency, he's a consistently inconsistent shooter. Martin's shooting is already shaky. Starting two uneven shooters next to the likes of Embiid, Maxey, and George may ultimately be passable - especially in the regular season.
But, consider this - Eric Gordon was one of the first signings of free agency. He took essentially the same deal he signed with the Phoenix Suns last summer. A league minimum with a player option in the second year. Would he opt out of his deal, come off the free agent board that early for a league minimum, leave the warm weather of Arizona and come to Philadelphia without some sort of guaranteed role?
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn ImagesGordon is older, but he's got a low center of gravity. He's not an ace defender by any stretch. But, he can get under offensive players and disrupt. Oh, and he shoots the leather off the ball.
Kyle Lowry and Gordon have similar warts at this stage of their respective careers. But, Lowry started for Nurse in the playoff series against the New York Knicks last season. He may be the best passer on a team that has a playmaking deficit. Not only is there a continuity that comes with starting Lowry, but there's also a convenience to it. Starting him defaults Reggie Jackson to the backup point guard spot. Eliminate the need to have two prideful veterans compete for minutes.
Remember those hopeless Detroit Pistons of the mid-to-late 2010s? The ones with Tobias Harris, and then Blake Griffin? The ones with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Bullock, Spencer Dinwiddie, Langston Galloway, the eh-maybe-if-you-squint-he-has-the-goods Stanley Johnson (shout out Thon Maker!), Brandon Knight and Ish Smith?
That's OK, I barely remember them, too. I had to look those names up.
But, the point is that group doesn't exactly light up a dark room.
Yet, for nearly 7,000 minutes over six seasons, lineups with Jackson and Drummond posted a net rating of plus-1.48 points per 100 possessions, according to PBPStats.
The Pistons, with all of that, um, [not a nice word], managed to be just barely kind of sort of OK-ish as long as Jackson and Drummond were on the court.
Put Jackson in a spread pick-and-roll with Drummond and let him zoom around the ball screen. Throw George on the second side to execute on the swing pass. Do what you will with those last two spots. But, that lineup is betting on offensive juice, at least in the regular season.
This is another way of saying that the Sixers will make a meaningful trade before this season's deadline, and that deal will bring a true starting power forward to Philadelphia.
As well as Martin can guard and as real as position-less basketball is, 6-foot-5 for a starting power forward is a really hard sell when bigger forwards are post-up threats the deeper you advance in the playoffs.
There should be no qualms about Martin guarding a face-up four on the perimeter. There should be qualms about him guarding a 6-foot-8 guy in back-down position.
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn ImagesIf that prediction, if you will, comes to fruition, it's a decision between Oubre and Martin for the final starting spot. You might be inclined to pick the guy who is a better shooter, a better team defender, and on the books for a bigger deal.
Besides, there are some really intriguing lineup combinations that come with Oubre as sixth man and George as the first star staggered with the non-starters.
He's 6-foot-8, 260 pounds. Yabusele is the only player on the roster with real power forward size. There will be beefier forward matchups for which the Sixers can counter the size discrepancy by inserting Yabusele to bump around.
If the shot translates to NBA distance, maybe he sticks in the rotation. Maybe he sticks even if they trade for a legitimate power forward. But, as long as he's the only guy on the roster with size for the position, it's difficult to imagine him not receiving opportunities.
The more you think about it, the more logical it becomes. The Sixers ostensibly have three guards ahead of McCain on the depth chart. He's not big enough to outlast their versatile, experienced wings for minutes at the shooting guard position. Unless something pops for him athletically or his point guard skills become too dynamic to ignore, the only ticket to the big stage is the shooting. It's not uncommon for rookies to struggle with the transition to NBA distance.
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn ImagesBona, on the other hand, has the benefit of being the third big man. That's an important job on this team. Drummond will get his handful of starts when Embiid is out. Center is the most difficult or second most difficult position for rookies to learn at the NBA level. He will commit some insane fouls in quick order. He will botch coverages. He will mis-time his rolls, creating disconnects that lead to turnovers.
But, he's the only backup to the backup big. And that means something in Philadelphia.
