Can 76ers’ Rookie Earn a Starting Spot in Year 1?

As it stands now, Philadelphia has a number of locks in its starting lineup, all of which have All-Star selections.

Former MVP Joel Embiid, despite extensive injury history, is a certifiable lock at the five if healthy. The same can be said for Paul George, who will be looking to bounce back from both injury and mediocre production as a combo forward. One-time All-Star Tyrese Maxey is potentially the team’s focal point presently at just 24 and showing off plenty of juice as the team’s point guard.

With its star trio locked in, that effectively leaves two spots open for numerous players to contend for, including Edgecombe. With George’s ability to play the three or four — and the league increasingly moving toward positionless basketball — that leaves plenty of flexibility in terms of archetypes.

That’s especially good news for Edgecombe, who toes the line between guard and wing well. Though he’s certain to have plenty of competition for those spots.

The team’s 2024 draftee in Jared McCain, breakout star in Quentin Grimes and veteran forward in Kelly Oubre Jr. will all have a fair shot at grabbing a starting spot.

McCain played in only 23 games for the 76ers last season, suffering a season-ending injury that derailed his frosh season, but was still a massive positive for the team. He started in eight games, averaging 15.3 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 38% from three on high volume. His shooting and ancillary play-making makes him a seamless fit in the backcourt next to Maxey, despite them both being somewhat undersized.

Grimes — a shooting guard himself — will be vying for effectively the same role. He played in just 28 games for the Sixers are being traded last season, but genuinely starred down the stretch, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Along the same lines, he brings a tremendous shooting punch at 37% on nearly eight attempts per game in Philly, as well as solid play-making.

Finally, there’s Oubre, who’s made a habit of frequenting starting lineups throughout his career, especially in the last several seasons. Through two seasons with the 76ers he’s averaged 15.3 pounds on 45% shooting across 128 games, proving himself a fine addition to the team’s core.

Oubre especially makes sense in the starting five due to his size at 6-foot-8, which offers a drastically different look than the smaller shooting guards.

There's a chance Edgecombe can out-talent the smaller guards, or that Philadelphia is more committed to his development than the continued insertion of Oubre. But all signs point to Edgecombe being a reserve in Year 1, which should be just fine for his development track.