Philadelphia 76ers: Kyle O’Quinn stuck in no-man’s land
Is there a path to relevancy for the Philadelphia 76ers’ backup center?
The Philadelphia 76ers signed Kyle O’Quinn to a chorus of praise this summer. Months after watching Greg Monroe pollute the court in Toronto, O’Quinn — in conjunction with Al Horford‘s arrival — gave the Sixers’ long-needed stability behind Joel Embiid.
So far, that sentiment has reigned true. The Sixers are capable of winning games sans Embiid, in large part due to Horford’s steady presence at the five. For O’Quinn, however, playing time has been sparse. When Embiid plays, KOQ seldom sees the court.
In a recent interview with The Athletic ($), O’Quinn touched on his limited role and the disappointment of not having a spot in the rotation. He mentioned his role is what it is, but obviously, there’s a selfish desire to contribute. That’s fair, and I imagine it’s true for just about every NBA player.
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O’Quinn signed this summer with one thing in mind — winning. He knew Embiid and Horford were on the roster, and inevitably, minutes behind them would be difficult to come by. Even so, most expected O’Quinn to maintain some kind of regular role given the Sixers’ renewed focus on load management. It hasn’t happened yet.
Brown has committed to staggering Embiid and Horford when both are active. As long as that duo is healthy, odds are O’Quinn will remain tethered to the garbage-time unit. The statistics, on the surface, back up Brown’s decision.
O’Quinn has played in 13 games with an average of 9.2 minutes per contest. His net rating over that limited span is -19.1 — for whatever reason, the offense sputters and the defense caves ins when O’Quinn hits the floor.
Given the nature of O’Quinn’s role, it’s unfair to slap full responsibility on him for such a paltry number. He has spent a good chunk of his minutes in garbage time or without one of Embiid/Horford on the court. Naturally, the Sixers will have less sustained success in those instances.
He’s not old — O’Quinn is 29 — but KOQ harkens back to a more traditional, old-fashioned brand of basketball. He has added a reliable three-point shot, but his bread and butter comes inside the arc. He’s a stout, feisty 6-foot-9, but he lacks foot speed on defense.
Long wingspan and all, O’Quinn is a limited defender. He can battle inside, but he struggles to defend in space. He’s exploitable in the pick-and-roll and, even at 29, isn’t as spry as his younger self. A few smooth passes and the occasional spot-up triple doesn’t make up enough ground to warrant regular minutes.
The Sixers have settled into a successful rotation centered on Furkan Korkmaz, James Ennis, Matisse Thybulle, and Mike Scott, with cameos from Raul Neto and Trey Burke as Brown sees fit. There isn’t a name on that list I’d feel comfortable kicking out in favor of O’Quinn. Not when the roster includes two All-Star caliber centers.
Next. A home-run trade proposal for Redick. dark
For now, O’Quinn will serve the purpose of insurance. He’s on the roster for when Embiid or Horford are no-goes, and not much else. He’s as good as one can expect a third center to be, but he’s still a third center. All signs are he’s adapting just fine to another small role.