Sixers' Starters Trail Two Teams in Eastern Conference Ranks

The Eastern Conference grew stronger over the 2022 offseason. Fortunately for the Philadelphia 76ers, they kept up with the times after going out in the second round of the playoffs in Game 6 against the top-seeded Miami Heat.

Knowing they needed a couple of tough-minded players in the building, the Sixers went out and acquired P.J. Tucker, Danuel House Jr., and De'Anthony Melton. In addition, the Sixers re-signed James Harden and recently acquired a backup center in Montrezl Harrell.

While the bench is certainly better than last year's on paper at this point, the starting five is expected to look better on the floor as well.

It's apparent the Sixers will at least start Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey. Right now, the fifth starter remains to be seen, but many are under the assumption that the newly-acquired forward P.J. Tucker will land that fifth spot.

If that's the case, Greg Swartz at Bleacher Report believes the Sixers have the third-best starting lineup in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.

The Case for Philly

"This was going to be one of the best starting fives in the entire NBA, even before bringing in a talented defender and three-point shooter like Tucker.

Following his trade to the 76ers, Harden helped lead a unit of Embiid, Maxey and Harris to a sparkling net rating of plus-17.6, one that contained a nice balance of offense and defense.

Tucker should be an easy fit, as he's an extremely low-usage offensive piece who will spend most of his time setting screens or spacing out to the corners to knock down open threes. A whopping 88.6 percent of his three-point attempts came from the corners, and he converted 41.5 percent of those looks."

Last year, the Sixers couldn't find stability in their starting lineup. While Joel Embiid was healthier than ever, injuries around him created a lot of absences throughout the season.

Former Sixers veteran Danny Green played in just 62 games. Due to his struggles to get a rhythm going after suffering several injuries, Green started in just 28 games last season after starting in nearly 70 games for the 76ers during the previous year.

As a result of Green's struggles to stay on the floor, the Sixers started Matisse Thybulle in 50 games and had Furkan Korkmaz in the lineup for 19 games.

Injuries made it difficult for the Sixers' starting five to get a rhythm going, but a mid-season trade also shook things up. After appearing on the court for 45 games, Seth Curry was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the blockbuster that netted Philly James Harden.

When Harden landed on the Sixers, the superstar guard couldn't debut immediately as he was dealing with a hamstring injury. Therefore, he only played in 21 regular-season games before the playoffs.

The Sixers will inevitably deal with absences in 2022-2023, as that's how the game goes. But at least they can feel comfortable knowing they have a top lineup going into the new basketball year. They might not have the edge over the defending Eastern Conference Champions based on this list, but they are ahead of their direct rivals, the Brooklyn Nets (5th), Toronto Raptors (7th), and the New York Knicks (10th).

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.