76ers: De'Anthony Melton or Tyrese Maxey, Who Should Start?

In recent games, Doc Rivers has decided to start De'Anthony Melton over Tyrese Maxey, but should he?

At the beginning of the season, Tyrese Maxey looked to have the starting point guard position locked down, after picking the spot up for the absent Ben Simmons last season.

The ship was sailing smoothly with Maxey, who was averaging 23 points per game with four assists before he limped off the court in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, with a fractured bone in his left foot.

While he was out, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers filled Maxey's shoes with De'Anthony Melton, who did more than enough to be a successful replacement.

As a fill-in, the former University of South Califonia guard put up 14 points with two steals per game, which has helped him climb the ranks of strips per game, ranking fifth in the league so far.

It was for this reason that Doc Rivers explained that Melton would be starting over Maxey at times, with the former Kentucky guard accepting it, but given Melton's offensive inconsistency at times, is it really worth it?

In their usual starting lineup, the Sixers have two true scorers, Joel Embiid and James Harden, with Tobias Harris usually playing the role of a utilitarian.

Apart from those three, P.J. Tucker is mainly a defensive tool, only averaging three shots per game, usually from the corner, with his on/off defensive stats not being anything too convincing.

With those four players a constant feature in the lineup, who fits in better, Maxey or Melton?

Melton, who currently has the starting spot, provides the Sixers' starting lineup with more on-ball defensive pressure, forcing turnovers or stripping the ball away. Granted, the opponents he guards still manage to shoot roughly 50 percent when guarded by Melton.

His offensive contributions are streaky at bests, with some games including eight three-pointers or 30-plus points and others including none or six points per game.

When looking at the stats, Maxey doesn't offer that much of a difference from Melton. The third-year guard also holds his opposition to a field goal percentage of 50 percent while falling behind in the steal department, only averaging one per game.

The offensive department is where Maxey accelerates, with his month-long absence not slowing him down a pace, averaging 20 points on 45 percent shooting since making his return.

With the two being opposites in what they bring to the table, Rivers could decide to do what he did against the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers by starting Melton and continue switching to Maxey later on in the game when his offensive wizardry is needed.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

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