The Philadelphia 76ers' center room beyond Joel Embiid was already lackluster, but with recent injuries to Andre Drummond and Adem Bona, it's only getting worse.
Embiid has been out of action since Feb. 26 due to an oblique injury, and it still remains to be seen when he'll be back on the court. In his place, Drummond and Bona are leaving a lot to be desired.
While Drummond still provides some value as a rebounder (he has 21 games of double-digit boards this season despite averaging just 19.4 minutes in 49 games), he doesn't do a whole lot of anything else. He is not a good defender, scorer, or shooter (though I give him props for trying to become a stretch big), and he is not a good playmaker, even for a center.
As for Bona, he is a solid depth piece who plays with a lot of energy and has a ton of explosiveness, but he is no Embiid. And the 76ers are learning that firsthand.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Drummond and Bona are each dealing with back injuries and sat out at least the team's latest game against the Detroit Pistons. And given that this was already a flaw as it was, this could be a big concern, especially with only a month left in the season.
The 76ers' center situation is far from ideal
He might not be the same guy he was when he won the NBA MVP award in 2023, but Embiid is still a game-changer for Philadelphia. The Kansas alum is a crucial part of the team's success because of his scoring, interior presence on both sides of the ball, and improved playmaking. However, injuries remain a big concern for him, and the 76ers don't have a great backup plan in place.
At this point in the season, it's too late for the 76ers to really do anything. The trade deadline has come and gone, and there isn't anybody on the open market who will make an immediate impact. But in the offseason, they need to do whatever they can to get a more dependable big man to play behind Embiid.
The 76ers are still in a decent spot for now. At 35-31, they own the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference. But they are also just five games behind the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers and 7.5 games ahead of the No. 11 seed Milwaukee Bucks.
Barring some wild collapse, at least a Play-In appearance seems inevitable for the 76ers, but a hot streak could see them squarely in the playoff picture. However, momentum is clearly not on their side (they are 8-10 since the start of February), and it seems like things may be getting worse before they get better.