Philadelphia 76ers Opening NBA Day Starting Lineup Predictions

Entering every season, there always seems to be a few question marks surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers. Whether it'd be Andre Iguodala trade rumors, Evan Turner's potential or the overall future of the Sixers—there's always something.

The Sixers lineup is very deep and balanced. But when it comes down to choose the five players to send onto the court to start every game— that's the root of one of the "questions" surrounding the Sixers.

So let's clear up some of those "question marks," shall we?

PG: Jrue Holiday

I mean, this pretty much goes without saying.

Holiday is well on his way of becoming a top-tier point guard in this league. He has improved his shot, overall passing game, and taking charge of the offense.

Don't be surprised to see Holiday's assists inch closer to 10 per game.

Backup: Lou Williams

SG: Evan Turner

Will this be Evan Turner's year to shine? I think there is a chance.

Out of all positions, this is definitely the most questionable of the bunch by means of who will get the start in game one. Knowing Collins, I think he will experiment in the first week with Turner and Jodie Meeks. 

Meeks improved greatly last year, and I personally love him as a three-point shooter to spread the floor. However, Turner needs to start and has worked on improving his shot in the offseason.

Either way, I think both routes will have a positive product this year, but for the sake of Turner's future, he will end up being the everyday 2-guard with Meeks contributing off the bench.

Backup: Jodie Meeks, Lou Williams

SF: Andre Iguodala

Whether you like it or not, Andre Iguodala will most likely remain in Philly.

As always, he will remain being the facilitator of the offense, running the court with the young guys in the transition game and playing shutdown defense.

Instead of fans criticizing Iggy's play, they should take a look at all he does and realize how he will be a key asset this year. Perhaps it would have been better to trade him for the future, but look at what he bring them now.

Backup: Thaddeus Young

PF: Elton Brand

Elton Brand made a huge rebound last year, and will continue to serve as a veteran presence on the Sixers.

Brand is 32 and will be turning 33 toward the end of the season, so I'm not so sure if he will improve from last season. However, even if he doesn't, I don't see him regressing significantly, or close to it for that matter.

Backup: Thaddeus Young, Craig Brackins, Lavoy Allen

C: Spencer Hawes

After just accepting the Sixers' qualifying offer, it's safe to say that Hawes will remain the starting center this year.

This is the weakest part of the Sixers lineup. Hawes isn't necessarily a bad player because he fits the system quite well. The thing is though, he is not meant to be a starter.

Now, the Sixers just drafted a center out of USC, Nikola Vucevic, so there is solid backup with potential (possibly the center of the future?). Judging from now, I don't know how much playing time he will receive, but my guess is around 10-15 minutes per game depending on how much time Brand sees at the 5.

Backup: Nikola Vucevic

Sixth Man: Thaddeus Young

I think every Sixers fan was happy to see Thaddeus Young re-sign with the Sixers late last week. He plays such an important role for the Sixers, and it's unnoticed by most NBA fans.

In fact, this is one aspect where the Sixers have an advantage over most of the other teams— a reliable sixth man.

I have heard many fans argue that he should start, and talent-wise he definitely could. But I think his role as a sixth man is just fine where it's at and does the best at maximizing his talent.

One thing about Young is that he is a hustler and very hardworking. He possess great qualities of a sixth man and is great guy to have come off the bench. His ability to play the 3 and the 4 makes their lineup really expendable, or allows them to utilize different combinations.

As the sixth man, Young has been efficient, provided mismatches and overall has been great off the bench. Let's not mess around with one of the few things that is going their way.

The Bench

One thing I can say for sure entering this season is the bench will play a major impact in almost every game.

Last season, one of the best qualities of the Sixers was that any given player on any given night could just go off and lead them to victory. Whether it was Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams, or some other random bench player. Most of the time somebody went off. It was a great feeling, too.

The bench is one of the best parts of this Sixers team, serves its purpose more than enough and deserves a lot more credit than what it gets.

Conclusion

The Sixers have a rather unclear future, but there is still potential in this team to succeed in the future and have a solid season this year.

Having said that, they do have a very tough schedule this year, but I have no doubt they are up to the challenge.

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