76ers vs. Pacers: Who Should Enter Philly’s Starting Five?

With Kelly Oubre set to miss time, who should enter the 76ers' starting lineup?

The Philadelphia 76ers received terrible news on Saturday night when they found out that their veteran forward Kelly Oubre was struck by a vehicle in Center City. Although Oubre was rushed to a local hospital, he was in stable condition and released on the same night, which was great news.

Still, Oubre was diagnosed with a fractured rib. According to a team official, he will be re-evaluated in one week. As of Sunday, Oubre does not have a timeline for his return. 

The Sixers return to the court on Sunday night following a win over the Detroit Pistons. This time around, the Sixers are set to host the Indiana Pacers and will play without Oubre for the first time since he made his debut with the 76ers last month.

When the season started, Oubre was one of the Sixers’ top reserves, averaging 29 minutes off the bench across three games. After the Sixers sent PJ Tucker packing in the James Harden blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, Oubre received a promotion.

For the previous five games, the Sixers rolled out a starting five, which included Oubre. His elevation to the starting five was much deserved, considering he was one of the team’s most reliable scorers throughout their 7-1 run to start the year.

Oubre’s time as a starter might’ve been temporary for the Sixers. As some of the team’s new additions got acclimated with the squad, there was a chance the starting five and rotation overall could see a shake-up. The head coach, Nick Nurse revealed that he likes Oubre in a role coming off the bench, which hinted he was likely on pace to return to a key reserve role.

Unfortunately, the Sixers are expected to be without the veteran wing for a while. So, the change comes earlier than expected — and for the third time this season — the Sixers will roll out another starting five.

Who Should Get Bumped Up?

The Sixers currently have four players who could be considered rotational regulars. From the start of the season, the veteran guard Patrick Beverley and the backup center Paul Reed have appeared in all eight games for Philadelphia in a reserve role. With Reed playing backup to Joel Embiid, he shouldn’t expect to see a change.

When the big trade was made at the start of the month, Robert Covington and Nic Batum were eased into consistent roles. Meanwhile, Furkan Korkmaz and Jaden Springer were sprinkled in every now and then. Considering that Korkmaz and Springer haven’t carved out consistent roles so far this year, they are highly unlikely to receive such a significant promotion.

Covington, Batum, and Beverley all have notable previous starting experience in the league. Batum leads the pack overall with 825 starts since 2008. Beverley was the latest to have a regular role as a starter, collecting 67 starts with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls last season. 

Utilizing three guards isn’t out of the question, but Philadelphia’s lack of ball-handling beyond Tyrese Maxey and De’Anthony Melton makes it more logical to keep Beverley in a reserve role, especially since he’s been an excellent conductor for the second unit.

Leaving the options down to Covington and Batum, recent history could indicate the latter player might have the upper hand. Since debuting for the Sixers three games ago, Batum has averaged more than double the amount of playing time compared to Covington, and he’s made every minute count.

So far, Batum has hit 70 percent of his shots, averaging six points per game. He’s also shown solid value in the passing department and on the defensive side of the ball as well. The only upper hand Covington currently has is the success of the lineup that includes the members of the starting unit, with Covington included over Oubre.

In 15 possessions, a lineup of Maxey, Melton, Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Covington is a plus-33 on the floor. Swapping out Covington for Batum, that lineup is a plus-16 with just 12 possessions of evidence. 

Everything is just a small sample size at the moment, considering the trade is still fresh, but the Sixers have to work with what they’ve got, and Batum’s flashes so far make him a logical choice to get a quick promotion on Sunday night.