The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers, may we approach the bench?

By Bret Stuter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers talks to Amir Johnson
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers talks to Amir Johnson /
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Philadelphia 76ers
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 6: Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers warms up before the game against the Washington Wizards on February 6, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Hope for health

Well, you have to look at the current roster to find the first sign of hope for that bench. If you do, you will notice that 2017 top-pick Markelle Fultz is as worthy of his preseason reputation as both Embiid and Fultz before him.

And so, the matter of who takes over at the wing guard role may be solved already. But it doesn’t solve two matters: depth, and competition for starts. The team will also likely see the return to the team from Furkan Korkmaz. That will help somewhat as well.  But both players will need plenty of playing time even to familarize themselves with this team. And that happens at a pretty slow pace if the player is not getting onto a basketball court.

International intrigue, similar story

A second option to reinforce the bench next season is to import those overseas players: center Anzejs Pasecniks, power forward Jonah Bolden, and small forward Mathias Lessort. 7-foot-1  Pasecniks brings a badly needed big to the team who should be a suitable backup for centerpiece Embiid. While still raw, his versatility and style are close enough to the team’s star to be a workable bench piece. And he brings a touch of Kristaps Porzingis, and that opens up a possibility of putting him on the floor with Embiid as well.  If that happens, the Philadelphia 76ers truly end up with a Twin Towers for Coach Brown.

But the dynamic Bolden will likely be the first player offered a roster spot next season. And why not? His summer league performance was enough to whet the appetite for Philly fans eager to see versatile energetic play in the front court. At 6-foot-10, Bolden is a power forward form who can play hard on both sides of the basketball court. Imagine Robert Covington with an added inch and you land in the vicinity of Bolden. Not only will Brett Brown love the opportunity to work with another two-way threat, just as he did with Covington. But Bolden hails from Australia, a continent Brown called home when he coached there. Two players, two solid bench pieces, but two players who will need time to realize their true worth – perhaps several years down the road.