THE The Philadelphia 76ers have had success by reshaping their roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, making the most of their salary cap space, and bringing in a third star in Paul George. Additionally, they were able to re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry, and they also managed to add Caleb MartinAndre Drummond and Eric Gordon (among others), giving the team plenty of depth at several positions.

However, for some analysts, there remains a glaring hole in the 76ers’ roster. For ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, their lack of size in the forward line alongside Embiid stands out as the team’s biggest concern heading into the season — especially with the 6-foot-5 Martin appearing to be slated to start the year with the team at the four.

“Caleb Martin, who I think will be their starting power forward — you could argue it’ll be someone else, but Caleb Martin would be the smallest power forward in the league, I guess, by far, according to (ESPN guy Stats Williams),” Bontemps said on the latest episode of The Hoop Collective.

Size-wise, Paul George seems to be the 76ers’ best option to line up at power forward. George stands at 6’4″, which in today’s NBA makes him a better fit to partner with Joel Embiid in the frontcourt, at least size-wise. However, Bontemps remains unconvinced that the players the 76ers have on their roster have what the team needs in a power forward.

“Paul George doesn’t have the size of a power forward either, that’s the problem. They have a lot of talent and they did a great job this summer of putting together as much talent 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 sign Guerschon Yabusele Yabusele was drafted this offseason after a very successful showing with France at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yabusele is similar in size to George, but he has a much more physical presence inside. He could potentially play a significant role for Philly this season, though trusting Yabusele to take on a significant role is still a huge gamble considering how he was eliminated from the NBA a few years ago.

Can the 76ers overcome their lack of size in the frontcourt?

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Indeed, the power forward position remains the one that raises the most questions for the 76ers. But that concern may be a bit exaggerated. As small as Caleb Martin is, he has a lot of experience battling against huge forwards, thanks to his considerable experience playing in the playoffs for the Miami Heat.

In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Martin faced the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Julius Randle, and Jayson Tatum, to name a few, and helped the Heat reach the NBA Finals. What he lacks in traditional size, Martin makes up for with his competitive drive and physicality, which will surely endear him to 76ers fans.

Additionally, the 76ers’ versatility on the wings, 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 may take a wait-and-see approach anyway, especially when they have KJ Martin’s contract up for sale later in the season.

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