The Philadelphia 76ers are starting to find their groove as they inch closer to the postseason. Winners of seven of their last 10 outings, this team has jumped back to sixth place in the East, although they cannot afford to lose anymore lest they risk moving back to the playoffs-in picture. Fortunately for them, the coaching staff may have just uncovered a late-season tweak that could make them more formidable moving forward.
Against Minnesota, the 76ers had a pretty slow start in the first half, but turned things around in the third and fourth quarter to seal the deal. One adjustment they made was to play Andre Drummond over Adem Bona off the bench to spell Joel Embiid in the second half, and it worked wonders for them.
Drummond finished the game as a +11 in just nine minutes of gameplay. He turned in four points, six boards, a steal, and a block, providing the team with some much-needed jolt of energy and physicality that helped them counter the Timberwolves’ troika of bigs in Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid.
The 76ers should go with Andre Drummond over Adem Bona in the playoffs
The 76ers have gone with Drummond when the season started as their nominal fill-in starter for Joel Embiid. When the former MVP returned, he was still logging consistent minutes, but the coaching staff eventually decided to give the backup center spot to Adem Bona, which relegated Drummond to third-string duty.
Drummond would still start games when Embiid was absent, but he would be completely out of the rotation when the latter was available. However, that stands to change now. As good as Bona has been when it comes to providing vertical spacing and rim deterrence to this team, Drummond’s veteran experience and rebounding are going to be more important for this squad in high-stakes games.
As such, it is high time for Nick Nurse and his staff to seriously consider primarily reverting to Drummond to man the backup 5 spot. He is still good at what he does in limited servings, and while his flaws can be so pronounced at times, he is arguably more reliable than the inexperienced Bona.
Of course, the 76ers have the luxury of having ample options for the backup center role. But if there is one thing clear, it is that Andre Drummond should be their choice by default, especially come playoff time.