The Philadelphia 76ers have played yet another postseason game without Joel Embiid. It's an unfortunate continuation of a trend that's marred an era that's been otherwise fruitful, as the former MVP was sidelined for Game 1 of the 76ers' first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
Though the idea of trading Embiid is likely to be met with resistance, his latest absence has confirmed how badly the 76ers need to invest in the center position.
With Embiid absent, Philadelphia turned to Adem Bona and Andre Drummond during Game 1 against the Celtics. They combined for just five points and eight rebounds in a cumulative 35 minutes, and struggled to provide the necessary resistance at the rim.
Boston ultimately prevailed with a 123-91 decimation of the 76ers, making an otherwise generally healthy Philadelphia core look wildly insufficient.
The harsh reality emerging from this game, however, is that Philadelphia must finally come to terms with its Embiid reality. He's still an otherworldly talent who can dominate games when healthy, but he's also missed an alarming amount of time during the regular season and playoffs.
If the 76ers hope to avoid derailing the momentum of the Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe era before it can even begin, then they must either draft or sign a high-level center this coming summer.
76ers need to invest in the center position—with or without Joel Embiid
Bona is a solid talent at 23 years of age, which gives the 76ers a potentially meaningful talent to develop. He averaged just 17.4 minutes per game in 2025-26, however, and hasn't yet proven capable of stepping in as a starter and delivering dependable minutes against top-tier competition.
Drummond, meanwhile, is 32 years of age, played just 19.5 minutes per game in 2025-26, and will be an unrestricted free agent this coming summer.
With this in mind, Philadelphia must be proactive in figuring out who can step in and provide starting-caliber minutes with or without Embiid in the rotation. Embiid has now missed at least 43 games in three consecutive seasons, and has been absent from playoff games in four of the 76ers' past five appearances.
Though his absences are typically limited to one or two games during the postseason, that's often enough for a series to swing in an opponent's favor.
With Embiid now 32 years of age, the 76ers can no longer justify failing to find a high-level backup by pointing to optimism that he'll right the injury ship. Optimism and support must persist, but the sample size of absences is too profound to overlook at this stage.
Whether it's through the 2026 NBA Draft or free agency, the 76ers must invest considerable resources in bringing in an impact talent at the center position this summer.
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