Philadelphia 76ers’ New-Look Starting Five Receives Favorable Ranking

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 10: Head coach Nick Nurse of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts to a play while coaching against the New York Knicks during the second quarter in Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 10, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

On paper, the Philadelphia 76ers have arguably the best starting five in the entire NBA heading into the 2026-27 season.

It remains to be seen if it plays out that way on the court, but Philadelphia’s new-look first five received a favorable ranking with the start of the regular season just a couple of weeks away.

Philadelphia 76ers’ Starting Lineup Ranked as Fourth-Best in NBA

John Gonzalez of CBS Sports recently ranked the top five starting lineups in the NBA heading into the season, and the 76ers came in at No. 4, behind the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks.

“. . . it’s hard not to tip your cap to new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey for pulling off two of the biggest moves of the offseason. First, he flipped Paul George and his onerous contract for Brown, a Finals MVP who is coming off the best regular season of his career and is seven years younger,” Gonzalez wrote.

“Then he convinced arguably the greatest player of all time to sign for the vet minimum with a team that hasn’t made it out of the second round since 2001. That’s some nifty maneuvering. Add them to a newly svelte Embiid and that blur of a backcourt and the Sixers suddenly boast their best starting five (yes, yes, still on paper) since Dr. J and Moses Malone delivered their last championship in 1983.”

While the three teams ahead of the 76ers on Gonzalez’s list all have the benefit of continuity that Philadelphia doesn’t have, it’s hard to argue that any of them have more sheer talent in their starting five than the Sixers.

Depth Could be the Real Strength for 76ers

While Philadelphia’s star-studded starting five will receive the bulk of the attention, depth could prove to be the real strength of the Sixers this season. The team made several important bench additions over the offseason including Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Labaron Philon Jr.

Those guys will join returning reserves Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker. That group should provide Philadelphia with some serious depth and flexibility to help support the first five over the course of a long 82-game season.