On paper, the Philadelphia 76ers have one of the most – if not the most – formidable first fives in the entire NBA heading into the 2019-20 NBA season.

They have a third-year All-Star and triple-double machine running the point in Ben Simmons, a versatile two-way perimeter player in Josh Richardson, a three-level scorer on the offensive end in Tobias Harris, a multi-faceted forward capable of defending, passing, and finishing in Al Horford, and a consensus top-10 player in the league (when healthy) in Joel Embiid.

The Sixers had a similarly strong starting five last season (Richardson and Horford replaced Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick), but issues arose when they turned to the reserves. The Sixers were 27th in the NBA in terms of bench point production last season (31.7 bench points per game), with a near-average bench plus-minus of -0.1. Those numbers didn’t improve much in the postseason either, where the Sixers were 11th out of 16 teams in bench points (27.2) and twelfth in bench plus-minus (-3.2). In other words, they were top-heavy.

Though Elton Brand worked to bolster the bench over the offseason – by bringing back Mike Scott, James Ennis, and Furkan Korkmaz, drafting Matisse Thybulle, signing Kyle O’Quinn, Trey Burke, and Raul Neto – it’s still fair to wonder if Philadelphia’s depth – or lack thereof – could ultimately be their Achilles heel, and hold them back from an NBA title in 2020.

Let’s take a look.

Frontcourt

When discussing Philadelphia’s frontcourt this season, you have to start with Al Horford. Yes, Horford will start for the Sixers, but he was also brought in as Embiid insurance. As is the trend in the league today, the Sixers are likely going to try to do everything that they can to preserve Embiid and keep him as fresh as possible for a potentially long postseason run; ‘load management’ is the popular term that is tossed around today when discussing that trend.

Last season, when Embiid would leave the court, the Sixers production – on both ends – would plummet. That won’t necessarily be the case this season. This year, when Embiid needs to rest for a quarter or a game, Brett Brown can slide Horford over to the center spot, and adjust accordingly – either by bringing Mike Scott* in off of the bench to fill the four spot, or by bumping Harris up to the four (where he played last season) and bringing in a perimeter player like Zhaire Smith, Thybulle, or James Ennis off of the bench to fill the other forward spot.

Behind Embiid and Horford is O’Quinn, who isn’t a household name, but is a serviceable center who averaged 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 18 minutes of action per game in 77 appearances for the New York Knicks during the 2017-18 season. His opportunity – and production – dipped with Indiana last year, but both should see an uptick with a more consistent role with the Sixers this season.

Jonah Bolden is still there too, and he should show some improvement in his second season. Bolden was a 35 percent shooter from long distance as a rookie, and he showed a proclivity for athletic rim-running. If he can find his footing on the defensive end and eliminate mental mistakes on that side of the basketball, he could prove to be a useful piece in the Sixers’ frontcourt rotation.

Overall, Philly’s frontcourt projects to be better – and more reliable – than it was last season, as long as all of the key contributors can stay relatively healthy.

*With T.J. McConnell gone, Mike Scott immediately takes over as the gritty guy that Philadelphia fans love to rally around. Expect him to be the cause of some standing ovations in South Philadelphia this season.

Backcourt

The backcourt is where there are some real questions for Philadelphia. First, who is going to back up Ben Simmons and run the offense when he isn’t on the floor? By the time the postseason rolled around last spring, Jimmy Butler had largely assumed that role, as he initiated much of the offense when Simmons was off of the floor – and sometimes even when he was still on it. Now he’s gone, as is McConnell, so Brett Brown will have to figure out who he trusts in that role. Burke will get a shot, as well as Neto, and both have talent, but neither presents a guaranteed answer. The same goes for Shake Milton.

The second legitimate question regarding the Sixers’ backcourt depth is if the team has enough firepower in the form of scoring and shooting coming off of the bench. Ennis is good for eight or ten points per performance, but where will the rest of the point production come from? 2018 lottery pick Zhaire Smith will get ample opportunity, as will Thybulle, and the long-term outlook for both players is very high. But as a second-year player with only six games of experience, and a rookie, there’s a chance that neither will be ready to consistently contribute to a legitimate contender at this point in their respective careers. And though Korkmaz has shown flashes of potential (namely his 40-point summer league explosion in 2018), the same could be said about him.

Smith and Thybulle are the x-factors. If either – or both – can prove to be a reliable rotation piece, the Sixers become infinitely deeper and more dangerous. That’s an unknown though, and as it stands, Mike Scott and James Ennis are the team’s most reliable reserves, which isn’t ideal. Ultimately, Brand might have to make another move – or two – to round out the rotation before the postseason rolls around.

Entering the 2019-20 season, expectations are as high as they have been for the Sixers in decades. There is an open title window in front of them, and they have the top-tier talent to capitalize on it. They have to make sure to sure that they also have a championship-level bench, however, and that might not be there, yet.