Nick Nurse starts Dominick Barlow over Kelly Oubre Jr.
All three of George, Barlow and Oubre have been full-time starters this year, manning two spots. The Sixers have so rarely had all three of them available at once that Nurse has never had to declare two starters and a reserve. George, a nine-time All-Star and the stabilizer of the Sixers' defense, was never going to come off the bench.
The choice was always going to be between Oubre and Barlow, and after telegraphing it over the last few days, Nurse went with Barlow at the four in between George and Embiid, taking Oubre out of the starting role the veteran swingman has been very prideful about in the past in his return from a left elbow sprain.
Oubre should still be expected to play the same number of minutes as a typical starter, and he will often close games for this team over Barlow. On Saturday, it became clear it was not a perfect setting for Barlow, and he did not play all that much. But generally, Barlow goes from somewhat directionless when playing with Adem Bona or Andre Drummond to a dynamic two-way chess piece alongside Embiid.
It is not that Oubre does not also experience significant benefits playing next to Embiid – his efficiency has always been dramatically better when sharing the floor with the former NBA MVP – but he is not as reliant on Embiid as Barlow is. If the vast majority of Barlow's minutes are to come next to Embiid, it is sensible for him to start.
Elsewhere in the rotation, Nurse opted against playing Trendon Watford, instead going with both Cam Payne and Justin Edwards in small roles behind his main eight players: Maxey, Edgecombe, George, Barlow, Embiid, Grimes, Oubre and Adem Bona.
It is reasonable to wonder if Payne is on the verge of losing his rotation spot; the vast majority of his appearances have been subpar and Edgecombe can handle the backup point guard role if needed – that is exactly what happened in the second half in Charlotte. Going with Edwards over Watford (and Jabari Walker) is a sensible choice given the Sixers' many ball-dominant players available, but especially against the fast-paced Hornets he seemed like the right choice to play, even in a limited capacity.
Odds and ends
A few additional notes:
• Predictably, Edgecombe's usage took a nosedive with all three of Maxey, George and Embiid on the floor, but there were moments where he had chances to operate with the ball in his hands. He changed the tenor of the game on two different occasions, though those were brief bursts. Figuring out how to balance Edgecombe's continued growth with the short-term benefits of giving the ball to other players more often will be tricky for Nurse.
• In response to his team's extensive issues on the defensive glass, Nurse went with Andre Drummond over Bona in the second half. It was not a reflection of poor performance on Bona's part, merely an indication that defensive rebounds were at a premium and Nurse felt he needed to prioritize them. The Sixers really buckled down with Drummond out there; it was
• For what it's worth, these Hornets have a solid case as the best team in the Eastern Conference since the calendar turned to 2026, and one of the truly elite teams in the entire NBA. They may not be true championship contenders just yet, but they are very good. Nurse raved about them for two full minutes after Friday's practice.
Up next: The most important game left on the Sixers' schedule is their next one, as they will head to Miami and face the Heat on Monday.
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
