Assuming that the Philadelphia 76ers can bring back their starting five, the biggest need the front office needs to fill is the role of a backup center.
The best scenario for the Philadelphia 76ers is that the team can re-sign the trio of Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick this summer. Bringing back this dynamic starting five is a must for general manager Elton Brand and the Sixers front office. Outside of retaining the starting five, finding a quality backup center for Joel Embiid is a must.
This past playoffs proved that Philly needs to change their approach to filling the depth chart at the center position. Embiid’s health has been a problem throughout the second half of the regular season and the playoffs. Whether it be his knees or another ailment, Embiid struggled to be at 100.00 percent this postseason.
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Head coach Brett Brown had to rely on a committee of centers to help man the center position. In the first round, Boban Marjanovic was the primary backup for the series. He’s a solid option when the opposing center can’t stretch the floor or is a threat off the pick-and-roll. If they are, then he becomes a liability defensively which is what happened in the second round of the playoffs.
In the second round, Greg Monroe became the primary backup for Embiid. Monroe was good to begin the series, but was almost unplayable at the end of the series. He was a plus/minus-9 in Game 7 in just two minutes.
During the regular season, Jonah Bolden and Amir Johnson also saw minutes at the center position, however both didn’t come without flaws. Bolden’s inexperience led to him getting into foul trouble. Johnson age and NBA mileage finally caught up with him, which made him a liability on defense.
Johnson, Monroe and Marjanovic are all set to be free agents this summer. Only Marjanovic should be re-signed of the group for two reasons. The first being that despite his inefficiencies defensively, his offense is still elite and the second being is that he has a close friendship with free agent, Harris. Keeping Marjanovic will be a good selling point for Harris.
However, the Sixers need to find a quality backup center that isn’t a liability on the defensive end of the ball. The 76ers don’t need a big man that is good offensively, although it would be an added bonus if they could get one. They need a big man that can come close to replicating what Embiid can do on defense.
This season when Embiid was on the court, his Opponents Offensive Rating was at 107.6 versus 112.6 when he was off the court. The Sixers can’t afford to have that type of drop off when Embiid’s not playing. Having a defensive center on the bench is good in case Embiid does struggle with staying healthy next year. The starting five has enough fire power offensively that all they need is someone to anchor the paint on defense.
The Sixers could draft a center as an option, but that player may not be ready for a big role right away. Signing a veteran big man that is a known commodity is the best option for the Sixers this summer as they are gearing up to compete for championship.
Brand and the Philadelphia 76ers front office will have to look at their options closely, but it should be clear to them that they have to upgrade the depth chart at center this summer.