The Philadelphia 76ers have gone all in this offseason, in their quest to win that elusive NBA title. Guerschon Yabusele recently joined the likes of Paul George, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Andre Drummond as notable acquisitions made by the 76ers this summer, and they now have quite a stacked team.
Starters:
PG: Tyrese Maxey
SG: Kelly Oubre Jr.
SF: Paul George
PF: Caleb Martin
C: Joel Embiid
I think that’s one of the better starting lineups in the NBA. For starters, you’ve got Joel Embiid, who averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game in 2023-24. Had the seven-time All-Star not missed over half the season due to injury, he would have been in the running for MVP once again.
In Tyrese Maxey, meanwhile, the 76ers have one of the league’s best young stars. The 23-year-old was named an All-Star for the first time last season and he averaged 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in the campaign. You’d expect Maxey to only get better as time goes on, and I think he’ll have another great season.
Kelly Oubre Jr. was another who impressed for the 76ers last season by averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. He excelled on both ends of the floor and is a fine piece to have, next to the stars on the team.
Paul George is one of those stars and he was the biggest free-agent acquisition of the offseason, signing a four-year, $212 million deal with the 76ers. George averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. The 34-year-old is a good fit in any system and should thrive on his new team.
Caleb Martin is likely to be the fifth starter and he averaged 10.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Miami Heat last season. Martin is certainly the weakest link in this starting five but when a player of his caliber is the worst starter, it tells you just how good the rest are.
With these five, I believe the 76ers have arguably the second-best starting lineup in the Eastern Conference. I would still have the Boston Celtics’s lineup ahead of theirs but that might be the only one that’s clearly better.
Bench
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Jared McCain/Eric Gordon
SF: Ricky Council IV/KJ Martin
PF: Guerschon Yabusele
C: Andre Drummond/Adem Bona
Now we get to the 76ers’ bench and while I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best second units in the league, there are some good pieces there. Andre Drummond, for one, is a fine backup center.
The 76ers definitely needed a good backup too, considering Embiid’s injury history. While Drummond, who averaged 8.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Chicago Bulls last season, won’t come close to replicating what the 2023 MVP does on the court, he can do a solid job filling in for him
Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry, meanwhile, are two solid veteran options off the bench for those guard spots. They then have some youth in Ricky Council IV and KJ Martin, who will be vying for that spot off the bench at the three.
Yabusele at the four will be something to keep an eye on. He did well for France at the Olympics but didn’t make much of an impact in the NBA during his time with the Celtics. If he plays anywhere near as well as he did with France, he could be their best option off the bench.
Adem Bola, meanwhile, was selected with the 41st pick of the 2024 NBA Draft and is an intriguing prospect. Jared McCain is another rookie, selected with the 16th pick of the draft, and he impressed during the Summer League.
With all that in mind, there’s certainly a lot to like about this team. Will they win it all though? I still have some doubts about that.
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