Philadelphia 76ers will have 48 minutes of elite center play each night

The Philadelphia 76ers will no longer have a gaping void behind Joel Embiid.

The Philadelphia 76ers introduced a slew of free agent signings on Friday morning, former Celtics big man Al Horford included. The five-time All-Star joins a loaded frontcourt, pairing up with Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris for the next four years.

While Horford is considered a natural five, he has the ability to defend the perimeter. Few players have been more effective defending Ben Simmons in recent seasons, while his lateral quickness holds up against most stretch fours and wings.

At 6-foot-10, Horford has long arms, a sturdy frame and tremendous instincts. He’s constantly in the right position, whether it’s cutting off driving lanes, stifling a post move or rotating for a weak-side block. He will fit right into Brett Brown’s culture as a tough, smart defender.

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The primary questions about the Horford deal revolve around his age and whether or not his current versatility will hold up over a four-year stretch. When his contract expires, Horford will be 37 years old. That’s quite a lengthy investment.

The vision Elton Brand — and most pundits, for that matter — have for the Embiid-Horford frontcourt might help both when it comes to preservation. Brand mentioned using Horford as a backstop for Embiid, allowing the Sixers to remain effective when the latter sits.

For the past three seasons, Philadelphia as struggled sans Embiid. Even with considerable star power on the roster, production has dipped whenever Embiid sits. It’s a testament to two things: Embiid’s brilliance and the Sixers’ poor depth.

Embiid is a plus-minus demigod, anchoring an elite defense and carrying a substantial burden on offense. His ability to create in the post is the centripetal force that keeps the Sixers’ engine firing. He’s the focal point of the halfcourt offense — someone Brown can go to when other avenues are clogged.

According to FiveThirtyEight’s new defensive metric DRAYMOND, Embiid is the second-most impactful defender in basketball. He eliminates space at the rim, defenders switches well and is physical inside. He takes pride in winning individual matchups and makes the defense tick.

In that sense, it’s understandable, to an extent, why the Sixers’ production has floundered in Embiid’s absence. His importance is almost underrated, as his mere presence changes the dynamic on both ends.

Now the Sixers have a solution in Horford. Brown will stagger minutes at the five spot, which leads to more combined rest between the two and 48 minutes of high-quality center minutes. Horford remains one of the most under-appreciated players in the NBA — someone who, at his peak, is a top-20 NBA player.

Horford himself is an elite defender. Horford is endlessly smart on offense, whether it’s distributing from the high post, setting a timely screen or spearheading the transition offense. He’s a floor-spacing, ball-moving center who has the flexibility to operate as a four. There’s reason for the front office’s appeal.

The DRAYMOND metric ranks Horford as the 23rd-best defender in basketball, and while no metric in perfect, most advanced stats paint a glowing picture of Horford’s skill set beyond the simple counting stats.

With Horford, the Sixers can keep a top-end defensive center on the floor at all times. They also provide different skill sets in different lineup combinations — Horford can run pick-and-pops with Ben Simmons, Embiid can benefit from the space Harris provides, and so on. There are different two or three-man combinations Brown can use to keep the offense humming and the defense stout.

Horford unlocks quite a bit for the Sixers. There are valid questions — questions we’ve long worried about — but in the end, his skill set is wholly unique. The Sixers were able to fill the void of one star with another. In pursuit of a title, that’s a necessary move.