Philadelphia 76ers starting lineup: Locks, fringe, and potential break-ins

Potential break-ins for the starting lineup: Shake Milton, Tyrese Maxey, Terrance Ferguson

Shake Milton showed some promise in his second year in the league. He flashed the ability to hit tough shots in big moments and showed he was mentally tough to withstand the rigors of the NBA. The problem is things didn’t go too well for Milton after being promoted to the starting lineup. He struggled to defend the pick and roll and was often a target on defense.

At this point, he’s better suited to come off the bench, but if he can improve his on-ball defense and do a better job defending the pick-and-roll, he may have a chance to crack the starting lineup.

Normally a prospect with the talent level of Tyrese Maxey would have a solid chance to make the starting lineup right out the gate, but Doc Rivers seldomly starts rookies. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander was ahead of Maxey in his development when he got to the league, but Rivers still didn’t make him a full-time starter until midway through his rookie season.

Maxey is a hard-nosed defender and a streaky shooter who has the ability to score in a variety of ways and can play on or off the ball. His penchant for defense will all but guarantee a spot in the rotation, but developing a more consistent perimeter shot will be the key to Maxey making the starting lineup.

The 6’6” Terrance Ferguson was projected to be a solid 3-and-D wing when he was selected 21st overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Playing time was pretty scarce during his rookie year, but he started to show promise in his sophomore campaign. He started all 74 games he appeared in and averaged 6.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 0.5 steals per game. He shot 36.6 percent from 3-point land on 3.9 attempts per game.

Last season, Ferguson was embroiled in a custody battle for his daughter and appeared to be distracted or mentally checked out at times. This led to the worst season of his young career. His shooting splits dropped to .355/.292/.750 last season from the .429/.366/.725 he posted the year prior.

While he’s proven he can be a capable defender on the wings when he’s locked in, Ferguson will need to dramatically improve his 3-pointer if he’s going to pose a threat to make the starting lineup.

Predicting the starting lineup:

G: Seth Curry

G: Matisse Thybulle

F: Ben Simmons

F: Tobias Harris

C: Joel Embiid