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Sixers Tease New-Look Backcourt on Twitter

The Sixers are "loading" up their new-look backcourt, adding excitement for the upcoming season.

Justin Grasso

Sixers Tease New-Look Backcourt on Twitter
Sixers Tease New-Look Backcourt on Twitter /
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Next week, the Philadelphia 76ers will fire up the 2022-2023 season by beginning training camp. As the preseason approaches, Sixers players have been back in the local gym gearing up for the upcoming season.

On Wednesday, Philly’s social media team teased photos of the Sixers’ new-look backcourt after a practice session this week.

In the photo, four of the key guards on the team, Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, Shake Milton, and the newly-acquired De’Anthony Melton, are smiling as they get back to work.

Last season, the Sixers got a sample size of how three of the four guards pictured work together. After the 76ers rolled with Maxey as the starting point guard alongside the former Sixers sharpshooter Seth Curry, Milton played as Maxey’s backup when healthy.

After the Sixers engaged in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets, Curry was out of the picture. In return for Curry, Andre Drummond, and the disgruntled Ben Simmons, the 76ers landed the ten-time All-Star, James Harden.

In 21 games, Harden averaged 21 points, ten assists, and seven rebounds, while knocking down 32 percent of his threes. Meanwhile, Maxey got a boost from Harden’s presence as he averaged 18 points while shooting 48 percent from deep after the future Hall of Famer debuted for Philly.

While Shake Milton has proven to be a solid backup for the Sixers’ backcourt, Philly needed to add another prospect that could help boost the bench.

By trading away the veteran Three-and-D prospect Danny Green and a 2022 first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Sixers landed a young veteran guard in De’Anthony Melton.

In 73 games with the Grizzlies last year, Melton put up 10 points per game and knocked down 37 percent of his deep shots. In Philly, the former Grizzlies guard is expected to make a significant impact, which adds a lot of excitement for the 76ers’ upgraded backcourt this year.  

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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