Getty Joel Embiid #21, De'Anthony Melton #8 and James Harden #1, Philadelphia 76ers
In a January 20 mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey was asked if he believes the Philadelphia 76ers will need another center. Pompey answered in the affirmative, though he did not mean it as a knock on who the Sixers currently have as their backup centers.
“I do think the Sixers need another big. That’s not meant to be a knock on reserve centers Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed. Harrell can get buckets and thrives playing alongside James Harden in the pick-and-roll. Reed is (an) athletic rim protector. But Harrell (6-foot-7) and Reed (6-9) are undersized for the position. As a result, the Sixers are without a physical, big center to back up Joel Embiid like they had in the past with Andre Drummond and Dwight Howard,” Pompey said.
Pompey used the Sixers’ latest game against the Chicago Bulls as an example of why they need a bigger backup center and how that could help their chances at a title.
“The Sixers’ current backup bigs’ lack of height was exploited on January 6 against Chicago Bulls centers Nik Vučević and Drummond.
“The Sixers also rank next to last in the league in rebounding at 40.5 per game. That’s something they will need to improve on in the postseason, and a towering backup big should help with that.”
Insider Believes Sixers Could Reunite With Drummond
On a January 14 episode of “Pullin’ Up With Keith Smith and Adam Taylor,” Smith brought up a familiar face who could not only be potentially available for the Sixers to acquire but could also be acquired for very little at that.
“I wouldn’t be shocked fully if it turned into a, ‘You know what, let’s get Andre Drummond back,'” Smith said. “So he is a guy whose contract has expired, and he signed with the Bulls. If the Bulls say, ‘Yeah, backup center is a luxury for us because we’re not very good,’ Philly could go trade for Drummond for next to nothing. And that could be, you know, this was because he played really well for Philadelphia a year ago.”
In his role as Vucevic’s backup this season, Drummond is putting up impressive numbers in 13.2 minutes a game, averaging 6.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 0.6 steals a game while shooting 60.1 percent from the field.
At 21-24, the Bulls are the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, so while they may be in the playoff race, they would have a steep hill to climb if they want to make a playoff run. They must decide if that’s what they want or if they may be better off tanking, which could determine what they do with Drummond.
Proposed Trade Swaps Matisse Thybulle For Possible Upgrade
An Eastern Conference executive proposed a trade to Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney in which the Sixers could exchange Matisse Thybulle with Zach Collins of the San Antonio Spurs.
“San Antonio is one that has had some interest [in Thybulle]. Thybulle is a [head coach Gregg] Popovich kind of player, and they’re trying to do some reclamation projects down there,” the GM told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney. “The Sixers could take a chance on Zach Collins. They’re really looking for some depth up front. Not sure of their interest in Collins, but that would be the only guy who makes sense there.”
In 35 games this season, Collins has averaged 9.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three in 20.5 minutes a game. At 14-32, the Spurs are among the worst teams in the league, so they may look to trade some of their veterans, like Collins, before the trade deadline.