The Sixers will start trying to win games this year, which is a great concept that fans have been waiting for for a very long time. There is a chance for three of their players to win rookie of the year, which is unprecedented heading into a season. There is a lot of intrigue, even if there aren't a lot of expectations.

Player Movement

Notable Ins	Notable Outs
Ben Simmons NBA Draft Dario Saric Europe Gerald Henderson Portland Trail Blazers Jerryd Bayless Milwaukee Bucks Timothe Luwawu NBA Draft Joel Embiid Injured Sergio RodriguezEurope	Ish Smith Detroit Pistons Tony Wroten Memphis Grizzlies Isaiah Canaan Chicago Bulls

Philadelphia 76ers Depth Chart

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
Jerryd Bayless Sergio Rodriguez T.J. McConnell	Gerald Henderson Nik Stauskas Jerami Grant Timothe Luwawu	Robert Covington Dario Saric Hollis Thompson	Ben Simmons Jahlil Okafor	Nerlens Noel Joel Embiid Richaun Holmes

Rotation Player Projections

POS	PLAYER	USG	MPG	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	3PM	FG%	FT%	TO
SF	Ben Simmons	24	32	16	7.1	4.6	1.2	0.6	0.1	45	65	2.4
PG	Jerryd Bayless	20	28	12.2	2.6	4.7	0.9	0.2	2.2	41.9	77.8	2.1
C	Nerlens Noel	18.8	28	10.6	7.7	1.7	1.7	1.4	0	52.1	59	2.3
SF	Robert Covington	21.5	28	12.6	6.2	1.4	1.6	0.6	2.5	38.5	79.1	2.1
PF	Jahlil Okafor	26	28	15.6	6.5	1.1	0.4	1.1	0	50.8	68.6	2
SG	Gerald Henderson	23	26	12.9	3.8	1.5	0.7	0.4	1	43.9	76.7	1.3
SF	Dario Saric	18	20	8.7	4.9	1.7	0.4	0.1	0.7	44	76	1.1
C	Joel Embiid	19	20	10	6	1.4	0.7	1	0	46	68	1.2
PG	Sergio Rodriguez	20	20	8	1.6	4.4	0.9	0	1.1	44.5	80	2.2
SG	Nik Stauskas	16.8	10	3.4	1	0.8	0.2	0.1	0.6	38.5	77.1	0.5

Position Battles

The Fifth Starter

This squad has such positional versatility it does not lend itself well to traditional position titles. There will be a starting center (Noel or Okafor), Bayless at the small guard, Henderson at shooting guard, and Ben Simmons playing point forward. The fifth starter could be Okafor playing at power forward, Saric on the wing, or any of their young up-and-coming wings like Saric or Covington.

Rise in Value

Jerryd Bayless

Bayless is a great pairing with Simmons as a great three point shooter who plays point guard. He has a career average of over 36% and shot 43% last year (but only 31% the year before). Bayless has a significant increase in his per-minute production when he plays higher minutes. In games that he played 29 minutes or more, he has averaged 34.4 minutes per game and has produced significantly over his career per 36 production.

	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Threes	Steals	FG%	3P%
29+ Mins	34.4	17.2	3.6	4.4	2.0	1.1	48.0%	40.5%
Career	36	14.5	3.6	4.9	1.4	1.1	41.5%	36.5%

Decrease in Value

Jahlil Okafor

Barring a trade out of the logjam of the Sixers front court, Okafor has a high chance of being squeezed out of minutes. There are too many players that deserve minutes to get as much opportunity as he did last year. He was really good last year, in particular for a rookie, and there is no reason to think he will produce less per minute, but there is every reason to expect less minutes for the offensively-minded big man.

Injury Risks

Joel Embiid

Joel's third season in the league without a minute played should speak for itself. This is the first season we actually expect him to play any minutes, which is a good start. I'll just say no one would be shocked if he went on to be a perennial MVP candidate, or if he never played a minute in the league. Keep in mind that Embiid started playing basketball at age 15 in Cameroon, played a couple years in high school and then one year in college. He has been a Sixer for half his basketball lifetime! I'll leave you with one of his workout videos. 

Player Summaries

Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons does not feel comfortable shooting the ball. He might not be terrible eventually, but for now don't expect a very high usage. He will be productive in his minutes, and he should get plenty of minutes. Look to draft him for a good combination of rebounds, assists, and steals, but he will be overdrafted. It is very likely Simmons goes 3-4 rounds too early.We have him projected at #94, but he will likely go 40 spots higher.

Dario Saric

Saric was a lottery pick 3 years ago and he has been playing in Europe. He would have been the #2 or #3 pick in this years draft. He is still a rookie, and young (22) but not as young as a player like Simmons. He should get over 20 minutes per game and grow a lot this year. A great dynasty pick, he could struggle to bring you value in standard leagues.

Gerald HendersonDeep League

Henderson will be the starting shooting guard and will provide a veteran precense that has been missing on this team throughout the process. Henderson has been a slightly above-average usage player in his career (21.6% Career) and has been a starter most places he has gone. We know what we will get from Henderson, and it isn't very fantasy friendly. Deep league value pick only.

Sergio Rodriguez

Look for Sergio, a more traditional point guard, to get a lot of run at point guard when Simmons is on the bench. He has enough upside to take him late in your draft.