Philadelphia 76ers fans are on standby mode at the moment. With the team failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017, they are relegated to just rooting for the teams that hold the least adversarial narratives against the franchise — that is, if they are even tuning in.
Still, even at this juncture, the 76ers front office is actually incentivized to keep binging playoff games. After all, the offseason is inching closer, and with a lot of roster spots up for grabs after the season officially ends, the team must do its earnest to fill the roster and address the glaring weaknesses that doomed them right from the get-go in this campaign.
A particular issue that Philly has to be desperate about solving is its backup center situation. With Joel Embiid still facing a lot of uncertainty on his availability in the following season, the 76ers have to reinforce the position as much as they can. While Adem Bona has turned out to be a more than serviceable backup, he cannot be left on an island, especially when he steps into the role of a starter in the superstar’s stead.
Steven Adams may not be the right free agent to target for the 76ers as his weakness gets exposed
Andre Drummond is technically still on board unless he declines his player option (which is unlikely). However, his decline could not be any more obvious this season, and for that reason, the front office would be wise to seek a replacement.
One player who comes to mind is Steven Adams. The veteran, after all, remains a massive force to be reckoned with, especially on the boards, despite a significant injury that derailed him for the last two seasons.
Adams is currently manning the role of being Alperen Sengun’s backup in Houston. However, despite putting up huge numbers in limited minutes, there is an alarming red flag that the 76ers should be mindful of if they indeed zoom in on him in free agency.
The 12-year veteran is a career 53.3 percent free-throw shooter. This season, he canned just 46.2 of his attempts in the charity stripe — a trend that has subsisted in Houston’s current playoff series against Golden State where the Warriors, despite not having a counter to Adams’ rebounding, have started to neutralize him by forcing the Rockets to take him out of the hardwood by intentionally sending him to the free-throw line.
The 76ers seem to not mind having a similar player with such weakness in Drummond this season, but if they are serious about constructing a foolproof roster, they cannot risk their minimal cap space on a player who can get easily benched in high-stakes games.
Steven Adams could very still command a relatively handsome payday in free agency, but the Philadelphia 76ers should probably look elsewhere to shore up their depth at center.