Philadelphia 76ers: 5 most important bench pieces, ranked

5. Kyle O’Quinn

The Sixers will and should rely on Joel Embiid and Al Horford for the majority of center minutes. But over the course of an 82-game regular season, rest is a necessity. Both Embiid and Horford will take games off.

That’s where having a functional, not-Greg Monroe backup center comes in handy. Kyle O’Quinn was ineffective last season, but sample size is a large factor in those struggles. He simply didn’t see much floor time in Indiana’s loaded frontcourt.

It will be a similar story in Philadelphia, but there’s reason to expect positive regression. While not elite in a single area, O’Quinn fits the old cliche of checking multiple boxes. He’s a strong interior defender, an efficient at-rim finisher and a reliable mid-range shooter.

O’Quinn can fill spot minutes at the five without hemorrhaging points or bumbling through the offensive motions Amir Johnson-style. He can even start on occasion when Embiid takes a game off. He’s as good a third center as Philadelphia could have gotten on the open market.

There’s an argument for including another perimeter piece on this list — Matisse Thybulle and Raul Neto have the strongest cases — but in the regular season, expect O’Quinn to carry a small but important burden. It just won’t carry over to the postseason.