76ers Starting Lineup With Joel Embiid, Paul George Out vs Bucks

Who will the 76ers start against the Bucks on Wednesday?

Mar 4, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Jevon Carter (5) in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will host the Milwaukee Bucks for their first regular season matchup of the season.

After the Sixers competed in their preseason finale against the Orlando Magic, they had a few questions regarding their All-Star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.

The star center Embiid missed the entire preseason as a part of his injury management plan this offseason. While many expected Embiid to be ready to go for the opener, they couldn’t be sure. It turns out, the Sixers will not have Embiid playing at the start of the season.

George suffered a knee-related injury during the team’s preseason matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. While the nine-time All-Star received a favorable diagnosis, avoiding a long-term setback, he was also ruled out for Wednesday’s game due to a bruised knee.

Tyrese Maxey dodged a bullet. He left the preseason finale with a thumb contusion. The Sixers held him out for a majority of the matchup for precautionary reasons. The Sixers cleared Maxey for practice when they returned home to begin preparation for the opener. Maxey will play on Wednesday.

Mar 14, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) shoots during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

76ers’ Starting Lineup vs Bucks

Before Wednesday’s game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse revealed the team’s temporary starting lineup for the opener. As expected, the group is headlined by Tyrese Maxey.

• Tyrese Maxey

• Kelly Oubre

• Eric Gordon

• KJ Martin

• Andre Drummond

“Why did I settle on that five? Well, I just like it for a couple of reasons. First of all, I think that Tyrese, [Oubre], and [Drummond] are fairly obvious, right? We like Eric for spacing and shooting. KJ has had a great fall. We like his defensive abilities. He also gets to the basket and offensive rebounds good,” Nurse explained.

Over the offseason, the Sixers signed Caleb Martin to a multi-year deal. The assumption was that Martin would start alongside the star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, but Nurse is going in a different direction on Wednesday.

“He’s certainly one of our top five players, without a doubt,” Nurse said of Caleb Martin. “Just like the feel of his energy off the bench so far from what he’s given up. It’s really a four, five, or six-minute thing. He’s probably going to play starter minutes, and I’d imagine he’s going to play as many minutes as he can physically handle this evening.”