Sixers mailbag: ‘Is there any chance to see De’Anthony Melton in the starting lineup instead of P. J. Tucker?’

What’s up, peeps?

Happy Friday to y’all. The 76ers are at the halfway point of the season after falling, 133-114, to the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center. At 25-16, they dropped to fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

This marked just the eighth game with their starting lineup of Tobias Harris, P.J. Tucker, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and James Harden intact because of injuries.

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We’ll learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of that lineup during the team’s five-game West Coast road trip, which begins Saturday against the Utah Jazz. Afterwards, they’ll play the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.

But in the meantime, I’ll answer a few of your mailbag questions.

Missed out on the party? No worries. Submit questions for next time by tweeting @PompeyOnSixers with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.

Q: What do you think the Sixers’ biggest need is at the trade deadline? — @phillygm711

KP: How have you been, Greg? Thanks for the solid question. The Sixers could still use a backup point guard. Right now, you have to ask yourself, “Who’s the backup?” Is it Maxey? Is it De’Anthony Melton? Or is it Shake Milton? Right now, it’s hard to say, because none of them have separated themselves and all three are more combo guards than pure point guards.

If James Harden suffers an injury in the playoffs, the Sixers could be in trouble without a pass-first replacement.

The Sixers are also without a physical, big center to back up Joel Embiid like they had in the past with Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard. Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed are undersized and their lack of height was exploited on Jan. 6 against Chicago Bulls centers Nik Vučević and Drummond.

And if the Sixers don’t continue to consistently play Matisse Thybulle, they could use a more consistent three-and-D player. Right now Thybulle has the D, but needs to play more to build confidence and develop a consistent three. Furkan Korkmaz has the three, but not the D. And Danuel House Jr. lacks consistency on both ends of the floor.

Q: Is there any move that could put the Sixers on the same level as Boston and Milwaukee in the East? Or are we likely destined for another second-round exit in the playoffs? — @phillygm711

KP: I see you have a lot of questions today, Greg. But I must admit they’re all solid. So I’ll answer this one, too. I keep going back and forth on this even though I’m leaning toward the Sixers being destined for another second-round exit.

But at the time, I don’t think they need to make a major move. The Sixers could be a dangerous team with the pieces they have. The outstanding questions center on whether they fit together and if guys will accept their roles. Right now, the conference is wide open. Third-place Milwaukee (27-15) is not as good as they were. First-place Boston (31-12) has shown some weaknesses, and Kevin Durant being sidelined could have a negative impact on the Brooklyn Nets, who have the conference’s second-best record at 27-14.

So the playoffs are going to be interesting. There are many teams that could make it through the playoffs by getting hot at the right time. As a result, one could argue the Sixers don’t have to complete a blockbuster deal if Harden continues to play at an elite pass-first level and Embiid remains healthy.

Plus, I don’t see what they can offer in a deal.

One thing they could do is wait after the trade deadline and pick up a solid player in the buyout market. They could sign guys with expiring contracts who are currently on young rebuilding teams like the Orlando Magic’s Terrence Ross. Will the Magic keep him there if he’s not traded?

» READ MORE: Sixers mailbag: When will Doc Rivers be fired?

The Detroit Pistons have a club option on Alec Burks for next season. But what will they do if he remains on their roster past the trade deadline? Will they just cut their losses and buy him out? Burks didn’t enjoy his first stint with the Sixers, so that would probably be tough selling point.

And what will the Houston Rockets do with Eric Gordon if he remains on the roster past the trade deadline? They have a team option on him for next season, but will they cut their losses on a guy Daryl Morey once tried to land?

Players like Gordon, Burks and Ross could be options to pursue if their teams decide to buy them out. But rebuilding teams with hopes of garnering the top pick in the NBA draft are in the buyout market every season as they try to release veteran salaries. So that may be something the Sixers could consider when deciding how to use their available roster spot.

Q: What’s the playoff rotation going to look like?— @embiidclears

KP: Thanks for the question, Deadman. Assuming the current starting lineup stays intact, Georges Niang and Melton could be the only definite rotation players. That’s because, ideally, teams want to reduce their playoff rotation to eight players, no more than nine.

Based on situations or matchups, the Sixers would go with Reed or Harrell at backup center. They would go with Reed if they want more defense. They could also do the same in reaction to matchups with Thybulle and House. Milton could be a wildcard because he’s shown that he deserves to get minutes.

But, in all honesty, this is a tough question to answer before the trade deadline and buyout market.

Q: Is there any chance to see Melton in the starting lineup instead of Tucker?— @mikless94

KP: Thanks for your straight-to-the-point question. But I don’t see it happening.

That would likely kill Tucker. The forward probably joined the Sixers with the understanding that he was going to start. You can always play Tucker less and Melton more in regards to minutes during the game. But I think you might lose Tucker by taking him out of the starting lineup.

Plus, he does a lot of things that don’t show up on the boxscore. He’s like a general out there. He doesn’t need the ball to be effective. Tucker is happy just doing his role. And he brings physicality to the Sixers.

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Could it happen? Sure. But you would lose a lot of his intangibles if they did that.

People forget about Marc Iavoroni being the starting power forward on the Sixers’ 1983 NBA championship team. He averaged 5.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 20.2 minutes while starting over Hall of Famer Bobby Jones, who averaged 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks and 23.6 minutes.

So Melton may be a better overall basketball player at this stage of their careers, but Tucker is a better fit to start alongside offensive-minded players in Embiid, Harden, Maxey and Harris.