With 2020-2021 NBA season starting up in less than a month, team training camps are set to begin on December 1st. The 76ers have made some changes to their roster since draft night to help their two young cornerstones. Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and Doc Rivers put together a roster with more spacing, shooting, and ball handling. During training camp, there will be a lot that Rivers and the front office have to figure out regarding rotations. Take a look at my initial predictions on who makes the opening day roster and possible rotations.

Let’s start with the roster as it stands:

G/F Ben Simmons
C Joel Embiid
F Tobias Harris
C Tony Bradley
G/F Ryan Broekhoff
G Seth Curry
C Dwight Howard
G Isaiah Joe
G/F Furkan Korkmaz
G Tyrese Maxey
G Shake Milton
G Danny Green
G/F Terrance Ferguson
F Paul Reed (2-Way G-League)
F Matisse Thybulle
F Mike Scott
G/F Justin Anderson
G Derrick Walton Jr.
G/F Dakota Mathias (2-Way G-League)

There can only be 15 players on an NBA roster with 13 active each game, so there will be some competitions on who makes the roster and what their roles will be. Reed and Mathias are already designated for the G-League and at maximum 45 days in the NBA. Let’s look at my prediction for the starters:

G/F Ben Simmons
G Seth Curry
G Danny Green
F Tobias Harris
C Joel Embiid

I went back and forth with the idea of Shake Milton or Matisse Thybulle starting over either Curry or Green. I listened to Daryl Morey’s interview regarding Curry being the “gravity” shooter that the team lacked since the departure of JJ Redick. He also mentioned when Embiid and Simmons were surrounded by shooting in the past, they flourished. Having a vet 3&D wing on the court would add the necessary shooting to open things up for Ben and Joel.

Rotation Players (Guaranteed minutes)

C Dwight Howard
G Shake Milton
F Matisse Thybulle
G Tyrese Maxey
G Furkan Korkmaz

Dwight Howard will be Embiid’s back up and start when Joel gets his planned rest. This is by far the best back up the Sixers have had behind Joel. It will be interesting to see how Simmons plays with a big who is a lob threat but not floor spacer. Shake Milton has a chance to start but I think ultimately he will be the ball handler and run the offense when Simmons is resting. Shake will be given the keys to run the second unit and will serve well in that role. Matisse’s minutes will be predicated on how well he shoots the 3-pointer. His defense will get him on the floor but his shooting will keep him on the floor. If Matisse can improve his catch and shoot 3-point percentage, he has a chance to possibly overtake Green as a starter. Tyrese Maxey will get his chance to be a shot creator and ball handler for the second unit. Doc usually doesn’t play too many rookies unless they are an impact player (i.e Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). I’d also love to see Maxey in pick and roll action with Embiid. Korkmaz has earned some rotation minutes after his improvement last season. He was the only knock down shooter the Sixers really had on the roster. The downfall of playing Korkmaz is if he isn’t hitting his shots, he won’t be able to stay on the floor due to his lack of defense.

Fringe Rotation Players (Less than 10 mins per game, unless there is an injury)

F Mike Scott
C Tony Bradley
G Isaiah Joe
G/F Terrance Ferguson
G/F Justin Anderson

Out of these five players, only three will be active on game day. Those three will more than likely be Scott, Joe, and Ferguson. Mike Scott is one of my favorite Sixers but he seemed to have fallen out of the rotation for Brett Brown at the end of the season. Scott could overtake Korkmaz for rotation minutes in Doc’s system because he is a former Clipper and veteran. They drafted Isaiah Joe because they really like his deep range and shooting ability. Doc will give the kid some chances but I don’t see him playing a ton of mins. Ferguson will get a handful for minutes based off of his athleticism and defense alone.

Derrick Walton Jr. and Ryan Broekhoff will be camp guys but I don’t think they will make the final roster. They could end up with the Delaware Blue Coats, but could leave themselves available to sign with another NBA Team.

Some lineups I would like to see other than the starting lineup:

Embiid, Curry, Green, Milton, Harris – Could be the best shooting lineup the Sixers put on the floor surrounding Embiid.

Simmons, Maxey, Green, Thybulle, Embiid- This defensive lineup could have the potential to be suffocating.

Milton, Maxey, Harris, Korkmaz, Howard- Lots of pick and roll action, something Sixers fans haven’t seen during the Brett Brown era.

Look out for more regarding our beloved Sixers as we get closer to the season.