3 positional battles for the Philadelphia 76ers heading into camp

As the Philadelphia 76ers head into the new season, the focus will be on bouncing back. They will also be hoping for some luck in the health department when it comes to Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. Those three will be the ones that decide how far the Sixers go in the coming season.

Those three--health permitting--are expected to be in the starting lineup when the season begins on Oct. 22 and then coach Nick Nurse and his staff will figure everything else out. With training camp set to begin on Saturday, before they head out to Abu Dhabi for two preseason games, there are some positional battles Nurse and the Sixers must figure out.

Here are three positional battles for the Sixers when camp opens up:

Who starts at shooting guard?

Nurse and the Sixers will have plenty of options here. One has to believe Jared McCain will get the first look. He shot a blistering 38.3% from deep before his rookie season ended after just 23 games when he had to undergo surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee. As he heads into his second season in the league, McCain figures to have the inside track because of the shooting and he's excellent at moving without the basketball and finding open spots on the floor.

However, there are other options for Nurse and his staff to look at. For example, rookie VJ Edgecombe will certainly make a case for himself to start on opening night in Boston while the likely return of Quentin Grimes will be something the Sixers will entertain as well. Grimes was terrific for Philadelphia after being acquired at the deadline so this is a battle that will be played out throughout camp and the preseason.

Who starts at small forward?

One can argue the Sixers should start George here and go another route at power forward, but there aren't many real options on this roster to start at the 4. Therefore, George will be the power forward and Nurse and the Sixers will look at guys like Kelly Oubre Jr. to start at the 3. Of course, Oubre's name has been thrown around trade rumors as Philadelphia looks to possibly shed some salary to bring back Grimes, but for now, he's on the roster and he fits with the starting unit so he will have the inside track.

The other options are Grimes (when he does return) and the Sixers will likely put him at the 3 and go with a smaller lineup to fit with Maxey and his style of play. Whether it be Oubre--who is a great off-the-ball movement player--or Grimes--who is the better shooter--the idea is that the Sixers want to play a bit faster and open up passing lanes for Embiid when he does get doubled.

Who is the backup center?

For now, the clear backup center option is Andre Drummond. The Sixers will hope that the veteran can return and give Philadelphia the boost it was looking for in the 2024-25 season, but the 2-time All-Star was hampered by a left toe injury that limited him to 40 games. The expectation is that Drummond--who has also been involved in trade rumors--will return and give the Sixers a boost off the bench.

With that being said, he will have challengers for that spot. Second-year big man Adem Bona was terrific down the stretch in what was a lost season for the franchise. He showed he can handle bigger matchups, play with a ton of energy, rebound the basketball, and protect the rim. That will do wonders for Nurse and his staff. They will also look at Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow as potential options as well. The backup center spot will not be handed to Drummond. He will have to earn it in camp.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 positional battles for the Philadelphia 76ers heading into camp