However, for a few analysts, there remains a glaring hole in the 76ers roster. For Tim Bontemps of ESPN, their lack of size in the frontcourt alongside Embiid stands out as the team’s greatest concern heading into the season — especially with the 6’5″ Martin looking slated to start for the team at the four to begin the year.
“Caleb Martin, who I think is going to be their starting power forward — you can argue it’s going to be somebody else but, Caleb Martin would be the shortest power forward in the league, I would assume, by a decent amount, per Stats. (ESPN’s guy Stats Williams),” Bontemps said on the most recent episode of The Hoop Collective.
In terms of size, Paul George looks like the best option for the 76ers to line up at the four. George stands at 6’8″, which, in today’s NBA, makes him more suited to be Joel Embiid’s frontcourt partner, at least height-wise. However, Bontemps still isn’t sold that the players the 76ers have on the roster have what the team needs in a power forward.
“Well, Paul George is also not power forward size either, that’s the point. They have a lot of talent and they’ve done a great job this summer of putting as much talent together as they could, but they don’t have a lot of typical power forward size,” Bontemps added.
Of course, it should not go unnoticed that the 76ers signed Guerschon Yabusele this offseason following a very successful stint for France in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yabusele is the same height as George, but he is a much more physical presence on the interior. He could perhaps play a huge role for Philly this season, although trusting Yabusele to assume a large role remains a huge gamble considering how he flamed out of the NBA a few years ago.
Can the 76ers’ overcome their lack of size in the frontcourt?
Indeed, the power forward position remains the one with the most question marks for the 76ers. But this concern might be a tad overblown. As small as Caleb Martin is, he has plenty of experience battling against huge forwards, thanks to his considerable experience playing in the postseason for the Miami Heat.
During the 2023 NBA playoffs, Martin battled against the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Julius Randle, and Jayson Tatum, to name a few, and helped the Heat advance all the way to the NBA Finals. Martin makes up for his lack of traditional size with his competitiveness and physicality, which will surely endear him to 76ers fans.
Plus, the switching versatility the 76ers will have across the wing, with Martin, Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Guerschon Yabusele, will make them a tough team to beat on defense, especially with Joel Embiid patrolling the paint. The 76ers can take a wait and see approach anyway, especially when they have the contract of KJ Martin to dangle in trades later on in the season.
