How will the Sixers take advantage of their depth?

The question arises in Philadelphia every year come October.

Will the Joel Embiid finally lead this team to the top?

But the answer has been the same year after year.

Years of hope and promise and talks of becoming a contender have resulted in nothing but 1st and 2nd round exists. After the team’s 24-58 showing last season, the media wants you to recognize the truth of the matter.

The 76ers no longer are a threat in the East.

But that’s what they wants you to believe.

We cannot judge the Sixers off of an injury-riddled season with new faces popping in and out of the starting lineup every other game. An offseason of reflection, accountability, and focus is what the Sixers needed. We saw Embiid go in depth about his personal feelings, VJ Edgecombe show his deep desire to win, and the team finally start to look healthy.

If Philadelphia can take advantage of their depth this year, then what would that mean?

Embiid will go down at some point this season. That’s pretty much a given. But if the rest of the squad can stay on the floor, this team could make a playoff run.

I know it may seem very optimistic after last year, but just look at the roster.

There’s multiple players that could swing in and out of the starting lineup because this team has the depth to do that. While Tyrese Maxey and Embiid are givens, any combination of Edgecome, Paul George, Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain, and Kelly Oubre could find their way into the starting 5.

This gives Philadelphia major flexibility when it comes to matchups, as Nick Nurse can run a deep rotation without too much of a drop off in talent. Decent production came last year from Justin Edwards and the improvement of Adem Bona could prove to be a big factor for Philly for when the inevitable Embiid injury occurs. Along with these two, Andre Drummond will also be a big part of this Sixers rotation as he’ll likely be the first in line behind Embiid and Trendon Watford could be a productive piece.

With all that being said, Philly will be without McCain and George for their season opener on Wednesday in Boston. This will be a good test early to see how Nurse plays the rotation with two key pieces being out.

Looking at the big picture, the East is wide open.

Boston will be without Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee just has Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the rest of the East doesn’t look too threatening. The teams that clearly have the advantage over Philadelphia this season is Cleveland, New York, and Orlando. Atlanta, Detroit, and the Sixers are the next teams up.

While the depth is important, we need to see Maxey doing a lot of heavy-lifting. The All-Star guard is going into his 6th season and needs to make the jump from All-Star to All-NBA. Embiid’s prime is behind us, which means that even if the former MVP is on the floor, Maxey needs to be the leader of the squad.

All in all, if Nurse can figure out how to use the depth of the team to his advantage, this 76ers team is dangerous.

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