The Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated in unceremonious fashion in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, getting handed a clean, 4-0 sweep that will ordinarily have most franchises gasping for air and looking for a quick pivot. However, this team cannot really afford to undergo a real facelift this summer. The best thing they can do, however, will not require them to completely alter their landscape.
If there is anything the 76ers should take away from their blatant playoff ouster in the hands of the Knicks, it is that they have no more excuses this summer when it comes to addressing their perennial issue with the backup center spot off the bench. Joel Embiid was so gassed and banged up that New York was able to neutralize him, and the team simply had no real answers to fill in the void.
Nick Nurse and his staff tried a catena of lineup combinations in the second unit. He primarily went with veteran center Andre Drummond, although sophomore big man Adem Bona likewise got some run, especially when Embiid was out. Dominick Barlow, after seeing his minutes wane in the last month or so, had some resurgence of his own as the more mobile option of the three against New York.
The 76ers have no more reasons to not address their backup center problem
The 76ers have come to the point where Embiid has to miss games by design moving forward. The former Most Valuable Player, who remains the biggest pendulum-swinger on the roster, simply carries way too much risk on a daily basis to keep on burdening him with the workload he has been used to.
As such, Embiid will keep missing a lot of games. That makes it all the more important for the 76ers to bolster their backup option for the superstar big man. They need someone who can start games and be highly competitive while remaining effective when relegated to bench duty.
For now, the 76ers have a complete dearth of a player with that ilk. Their troika of big men in Drummond, Bona, and Barlow all have their respective strengths and weaknesses, but none of them were able to bag a consistent role all year long –– a matter that dims their prospect as a go-to option for the second unit.
With some financial maneuvering, the 76ers can afford to get some help at center. Hopefully, the front office will finally deliver in that regard.
Add us as a preferred source on Google