The Sixer Sense
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Et Tu, Tibor Pleiss? Have 76ers Plans For Their New Center?

By Bret Stuter

Apr 5, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts to an officials call during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 107-93. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts to an officials call during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 107-93. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 16, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Tarik Black (28) defends against Utah Jazz center Tibor Pleiss (21) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 109-82. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Tarik Black (28) defends against Utah Jazz center Tibor Pleiss (21) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 109-82. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

(3) Tibor Pleiss is worth developing

Scenario number three requires you to simply “Trust The Process”.  We know that former president and general manager Sam Hinkie loved a “certain type” of player.  Large wing span, huge hands, particular style of shooting the basketball, all fed into the analytics to determine which players were “keepers”.

You just don’t grow a young man into a 7-foot-3 center.  That has to happen genetically.  But once you’ve found your 7-foot-3 player, how much development can a team truly expect to impact the eventual outcome?  Can the team elevate Pleiss’ game to compete if he hasn’t a natural skill-set for the game?

Thankfully the nearly 27 year old has some skills already.   He plays a mean pick and roll. Pleiss can score in traffic, and he clogs up space on defenders due to his size and span.  He can score at the rim, landing 66.4 percent accuracy in his Euroleague play.  Why not put up a Euroleague highlight video and let you see for yourself:

He’s a huge body and as such he creates unique challenges for the opposition. Is it worth developing?  If you “Trust the Process”, you will be okay if that is the decision of the team.

Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?

The Philadelphia 76ers will likely do the straightforward deal and cut transaction.  But many expected that from the Philadelphia 76ers with the acquisition of Carl Landry, and that did not happen.

With the unpredictability of the team right now, it’s my job to place the possibilities out there for you.  Since the team has three centers at similar experience and skill levels on the roster, it has some sense to add one more to the mix, just to be safe if a deal does manage to occur before pre-season.