February 19, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
After trading Patrick Beverley at the trade deadline, the Sixers hope Kyle Lowry will be an upgrade at the backup point guard spot.
The Sixers, decimated by injuries, were forced to stumble through their last few weeks before the much-needed All-Star break. But after this week off, there are plenty of reinforcements on the way — even if Joel Embiid is not yet one of them.
De'Anthony Melton and Nic Batum are both expected to return soon, and making his arrival will be buyout signing and new backup point guard Kyle Lowry. Additionally, the team will be able to fully integrate its two trade acquisitions in Buddy Hield and Cam Payne — both of whom have surpassed early expectations.
With all of that being said, there are some very important questions and storylines worth following as the Sixers embark on the next chapter of their journey. They revolve around some tough decisions that must be made by head coach Nick Nurse:
While Embiid is out, the three players above are the only ones who feel like certainties to be part of the starting unit. That leaves two spots on the wing for Hield, Melton, Batum and Kelly Oubre Jr. The smart money is on Hield and Batum rounding out the starting lineup.
Nurse has extreme confidence in Batum, thanks in large part to his defensive acumen and versatility. Batum's ability to guard just about any player in the league and stand a chance while doing so is rare, and it is a trait not carried by any player the Sixers have had since Ben Simmons was the runner up for Defensive Player of the Year in 2020-21.
"It's super valuable in a lot of ways," Nurse said of Batum's defensive prowess back in November. "It has a pretty good ripple effect on our team, because it allows us to move some other pieces around defensively, too."
Hield, meanwhile, has taken a difficult situation and turned it into an opportunity for growth. Many expected the veteran sharpshooter to struggle with Embiid and so many other pieces sidelined. Instead, Hield took command of the offense, averaging 22.3 points and 7.5 assists in his first four contests with the Sixers. His three-point shooting has been outstanding, but that is expected when it comes to a marksman of his caliber. What has been rather stunning is his playmaking. Hield has been prone to some turnovers, but he has largely been excellent as a creator for others, something he had little experience doing prior to arriving in Philadelphia. He is simply playing too well to remove from the starting lineup right now.
If one is to assume Hield and Batum will start alongside Maxey, Harris and Reed, that means the team's three most high-profile bench players will be Lowry, Melton and Oubre — and that is one heck of a trio to have coming off the bench. All three have started for the vast majority of their time this season, and any one of them could easily step into the starting lineup if one of the typical starters becomes unavailable.
Lowry is unlikely to start — barring a Maxey injury — but one would certainly imagine he was promised an extensive role in the rotation as part of the recruitment which ultimately landed the former NBA champion. He can fill the backup point guard minutes previously occupied by Patrick Beverley while also spending more time playing alongside Maxey than Beverley did.
Melton, who has missed 17 straight games, sounds likely to return to the rotation within the team's first few games post-All-Star break based on some prior comments from Nurse. He started every game he played in before going down with a back injury, but it seems increasingly likely that when he returns to the lineup, he will also return to his role from last season, when he was the Sixers' first guard off the bench who can fit into just about any lineup.
Then there is Oubre, who has been up-and-down as a starter. There is no doubt, though, that his best minutes of the season came in the first few weeks of the year, when he starred in a major role coming off the bench. Oubre's effort as a starter has been valiant, and there would be no shame in having him as a fifth starter, but he would likely be optimized within the context of this roster as a three-point launcher, creative slasher and athletic defender off the bench.
While Embiid is out, the Sixers need to have a backup center in place of Reed. The incumbent in this race is Mo Bamba, whose shot-blocking is appreciated by Nurse. But Bamba has struggled mightily on the glass, has not protected the rim very well aside from his weak-side blocks, and has failed to leave much of an impression as an offensive player.
The more creative option, though, is KJ Martin, who has played well in that role in recent games. Nurse has been extremely pleased with Martin's ability to switch on the defensive end of the floor. While he cannot protect the rim in traditional manners, he may be just as viable in that department as Bamba, while being much more capable on the offensive end, where Martin has recently made inroads with his timely cutting ability.
That gets Nurse to a perfectly reasonable nine-man rotation. But with a roster that is suddenly deep, he has the option to go with 10 players for at least the remainder of the regular season. Ricky Council IV has shined as the most productive player the Sixers have likely ever had on a two-way deal. His athleticism, wing defense, rebounding and strong finishing make him a candidate to log minutes. But this is also where someone like Payne could come into play as another reliable backup ball-handler.
Nurse must first decide whether to use nine or 10 players. And if he decides to go with the latter, he must choose between Council's wing presence and another reliable creator in Payne. Nurse has his work cut out for him.
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