Getty Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers struck gold when they drafted Joel Embiid in 2014. However, as ESPN’s Tim Bontemps pointed out, they have failed to consistently support Embiid with a reliable backup center since his rookie year in 2016.
“When it comes to the 76ers and the backup-center minutes behind Embiid, time is a flat circle,” Bontemps said. “No matter how many different ways Philadelphia has tried to solve the problem — and, boy, have the 76ers tried to solve it. They are no closer to it today than they were when Embiid first stepped on the court seven years ago.”
Bontemps then used Embiid’s performance against the Boston Celtics on February 25 to illustrate why the Sixers need to fix
“Embiid was dominant throughout Saturday’s game. He finished with 41 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots in 39 minutes, 49 seconds. He was the best player on the court, and he was unstoppable whenever he got the ball.
“And yet, like so many times before, Philadelphia couldn’t manage to hold on in the few minutes he wasn’t on the court. If the 76ers want to write a different ending than having a fifth second-round exit in six seasons, they’ll have to finally find a solution to their eternal dilemma: surviving the handful of minutes Embiid needs to sit.”
Daryl Morey’s Thoughts on Backup Center Issue
Daryl Morey gave his thoughts on the Sixers’ backup center situation to Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated. While he believes it’s important, he believes there are plenty of areas in which a team can improve itself.
“I think it’s important,” Morey told Grasso. “I mean, look, you ask the right question, which is like, on any given team, you know, there are 100 things that could be better. You could turn it over less, you could have better wing defense, you could be better at jump balls, your late clock offense could be better, and your ability to switch and generate turnovers. Like, you can come up with 100 things, right? But the key is prioritizing those that drive winning. And especially winning in the playoffs. You only have like a particular set of resources that you can array across everything. Long way of saying it’s important, but it’s less important than a lot of other things.”
While Morey may not believe that the backup center position is not as important, Bontemps explained that what has eliminated the Sixers in the past can be attributed to Embiid’s backup.
“When people think about Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the 76ers and Toronto Raptors in 2019, they think of Kawhi Leonard’s miraculous game-winning shot.
“What they don’t think of is that, in a game Philadelphia lost by two points, Greg Monroe was minus-nine in two minutes played.”
Dewayne Dedmon Will Miss a Few Games
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters on February 25 that new addition Dedmon will be out for a couple of games, though he’s not concerned that it will be a long-term issue.
“Obviously, we just signed him so that would not be good if it was something that,” Rivers said, per Ky Carlin of SixersWire. “It doesn’t seem like that serious, but we’re gonna keep him out for another couple of games, probably, and then he’ll be back on the floor.”
With him out, the Sixers will turn to Paul Reed, Montrezl Harrell, and possibly P.J. Tucker to man the backup center minutes.