3 lineups worth deploying in 2022-23

After another disappointing second-round exit, the Sixers spent all summer revamping the roster. Daryl Morey was unafraid to swing big, signing P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, and Montrezl Harrell in free agency and trading for De’Anthony Melton on draft night. All four new arrivals figure to contribute important minutes in 2022-23.

The starting five is all but set: Tucker will join the star quartet of Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, and Tobias Harris. While Doc Rivers hasn’t made any official declarations, and training camp could always bring new revelations, the Sixers didn’t pay Tucker north of $30 million to have him twirl his thumbs on the bench.

For the purposes of this article — in which we dive into five lineup combinations the Sixers should deploy — we will ignore the starting five, instead focusing on lineups involving staggered starters and the new-look second unit.

Sixers lineup worth deploying in 2022-23 — No. 1

• Tyrese Maxey
• De’Anthony Melton 
• Danuel House Jr. 
• Georges Niang 
• Joel Embiid 

Last season, Doc Rivers finally began staggering the starters after Harden’s arrival. That should continue in 2022-23, and he should keep the same star pairings: tether Maxey to Embiid, and tether Harris to Harden. There should never be a period of time — at least not an extended period of time — during which Embiid and Harden share the bench. Keep one of your superstars out there at all times.

That being said, this should be the first round of subs each night. Embiid and Maxey handle the creation burden. De’Anthony Melton and Danuel House provide defense and 3s, and Georges Niang provides a lot of the latter. What about Matisse Thybulle? Now that Philly has actual wing depth, Thybulle shouldn’t ever be on the court if Harden’s not there to spoon-feed him points at the rim. Thybulle complicates spacing with Embiid too much otherwise.

Four shooters around Embiid and multiple quality perimeter defenders (not to mention multiple ball-handlers) is a recipe for success. In the past, Philadelphia hasn’t had many lineup combinations that could check all of those boxes. Maxey and Niang are still vulnerable on the defensive end, but Melton and House cover ample ground on the perimeter, and Embiid is one of the NBA’s top safety nets at the rim.