The Sixer Sense
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Sixers don’t have depth at center to survive a Joel Embiid injury

By Lucas Johnson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 24: Joel Embiid #21 and Amir Johnson #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers react after a made three point basket against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on January 24, 2018 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. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 24: Joel Embiid #21 and Amir Johnson #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers react after a made three point basket against the Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center on January 24, 2018 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. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia 76ers could be in trouble this upcoming season if Joel Embiid gets injured and misses a long period of time.

Injuries are never a subject that has positive vibes within sports, however they are important to at least prepare for. Based on the offseason moves made by the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s clear that the team didn’t seriously plan for, if in case, one occurred at one position in particular. Hopefully no injury will occur at the center position, but if one did then the franchise would be a bad place moving forward.

Obviously the player that Philadelphia would be compromised the most by if they were to be injured would be Joel Embiid. He’s a cornerstone of the 76ers and losing him for any long period of time would leave the franchise’s future bleak. None of the current reserve big man can even remotely produce what Embiid does for the franchise.

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Mike Muscala has only started in 18 games and averaged 14.7 minutes per game over his five year career thus far. Clearly, Muscala wouldn’t be ready for starter minutes and putting him in a starting role in place of Embiid could potentially setting him up for failure. Muscala may be able to stretch the floor like Embiid, but he’s no where close to the defender that the All-Star center is.

Amir Johnson has too much NBA mileage at this stage of his career to take on a long term role as a starter. Johnson would provide a solid defensive presence if an Embiid injury were to occur, however he would severally hurt the Sixers on the offensive end based on lack of a legit downtown shot. While Johnson would be my personal preference as a starter out the group of players the Sixers currently have if Embiid gets injured, it doesn’t mean he’s a good option.

That leaves Jonah Bolden and there’s been multiple times that I have professed my concerns about his NBA readiness. Bolden has good defensive potential however, he is still too raw on defense and especially offense based on his Summer League performance. There’s no way he would be ready to see any type of legit NBA minutes as a starter or a reserve if a severe injury stopped Embiid from playing the majority of the season.

This isn’t to say that any player could replace Embiid’s production, but there are better options that could be brought onto the Sixers than the ones currently on the roster. While the other big men on the roster are very capable backups, they are all ill equipped to be long term starters for this upcoming season.

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At some point in the future, the Philadelphia 76ers need to trade for a center or sign a free agent that could better help fill the void that the current assortment of backup big men can do. Hopefully, this concern will never be realized and Embiid stays healthy throughout this upcoming season. However, it’s the front office’s job to make sure the team has a suitable backup in place in case an injury to their superstar center occurs.