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The Sixers have made the most noise in free agency this year than any other team. This has been the free agency that Sixers fans have waited on for many years. Now that the bulk of the moves are completed, how does this year’s team stack up to last year’s?
Point Guard
2023:
- Kyle Lowry
- Cam Payne
- Patrick Beverly
2024:
- Kyle Lowry
- Reggie Jackson
- Jeff Dowtin Jr.
As of now, the point guard position looks about the same caliber of last year. With the talent at other positions, the Sixers need veterans that can distribute the ball and not turn the ball over at the point guard position. With Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson, they should get that style of play. Jeff Dowtin Jr. is on a two-way contract, so he probably won’t see the floor too much unless there are some injuries.
Some consider Tyrese Maxey a point guard, but with the addition of Reggie Jackson, him and Kyle Lowry should be taking the point, allowing Maxey to play at SG, his natural and more effective position.
The PG position should remain very similar to last year.
Shooting Guard
2023:
- Tyrese Maxey
- Buddy Hield
- Ricky Council IV
- De’Anthony Melton
- Jaden Springer
2024:
- Tyrese Maxey
- Jared McCain
- Eric Gordon
- Ricky Council IV
The Sixers revamped their SG position with a new young player (McCain) and a new vet (Gordon). Tyrese Maxey will take most of the minutes at this position and could improve even more since last year. If Maxey gets better – like he has in every season of his career – then this could be the Sixers’ strongest position on the team. He already won most improved player in his 4th year and now has bulked up quite a bit in the offseason. Maxey will be the Sixers’ X-factor.
The Sixers also drafted Jared McCain this year. He is another undersized guard, but will have time to learn the game with Maxey ahead of him. There is no pressure for him to shine in the beginning of his NBA career which could help him grow.
In the summer league, Ricky Council IV looked very good. He obviously belongs in a league above the G-league and could start making some plays in the NBA. He could become a good player for the Sixers or they could use him as a trade piece if he excels this year.
Overall, the shooting guard position should look pretty good this year. If Maxey plays as well as last year (or better), then this will be a strong position for them and better than last year.
Small Forward
2023:
- Robert Covington
- Danuel House Jr.
- KJ Martin
- Kelly Oubre Jr.
- Tobias Harris
2024:
- Kelly Oubre Jr.
- Paul George
- KJ Martin
The biggest upgrade of the offseason came at this position with the acquisition of Paul George. Not many teams have a player with Paul George’s combination of scoring and defensive versatility. Paul George would upgrade the SF position on most of the teams in the NBA.
Not only does Paul George add a ton of skill, but it may be even more noteworthy that Tobias Harris is gone. Tobias was a non-factor in the majority of games that he played in. Losing him and his near-max contract is addition by subtraction. That allowed the Sixers to go out and make big moves in the free agent market.
Kelly Oubre could start for the Sixers, but it’s also possible that he may come off the bench. Kelly Oubre’s skill and energy off the bench will certainly provide scoring and defense for the team. We will have to wait and see what Nick Nurse decides the starting lineup will be.
Power Forward
2023:
- Nicolas Batum
- Marcus Morris
- PJ Tucker
2024:
Losing Nicolas Batum is a bummer, but nobody should ever rely on a player with his skillset and age anyway. He had great defensive instincts, entry passes for Embiid, and could shoot the ball well. He will be missed, but the additions in other areas should make up for his loss.
There’s not much depth at this position right now, but Paul George can move over to the PF if needed. Depending on the lineups, expect to see George at the 4 throughout the season at different times.
Caleb Martin is a very underrated signing by the Sixers. He’s a hustle player that doesn’t need to score in volume and will provide solid defense and peskiness. Not only that, but he has historically raised his game in the playoffs which will come in handy for a team that lacks the mentality in the postseason. He’s undersized for his position, but having a strong defensive anchor like Embiid will help cancel that out.
With Martin and George sharing responsibilities at the PF spot, the Sixers should look improved in this position.
Center
2023:
- Joel Embiid
- Mo Bamba
- Paul Reed
2024:
- Joel Embiid
- Andre Drummond
- Adem Bona
If Embiid’s healthy, then the Sixers never have to worry about this position and they will have the best player, but that doesn’t happen. Recently, the Sixers have not prioritized the backup center position. This positional value is higher for the Sixers because of Embiid’s injury history. Signing Andre Drummond should help the defense stay strong while Embiid is off the floor while also helping with rebounding. Paul Reed isn’t a bad player, but he wasn’t cutting it for the Sixers. Drummond should be able to keep the Sixers even with opponents while Embiid rests instead of going negative every time.
Also, in the past the Sixers didn’t have any consistent offense coming from another position without Embiid. With Maxey’s improvements and now Paul George, they will not have to rely on a center to score points. The offense should be able to hold it down while Embiid rests.
Conclusion
Overall, the Sixers team looks a lot better on paper than it did last year. They’ve added a lot of pieces that look like they will fit with this team well. Obviously it comes down to whether they can get out of the second round of the playoffs, but for now we can look at a much improved team than last year. Adding Paul George should make this season a lot more fun to watch.
Picture from Kyle Ross
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Collin Benjamin
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