The Philadelphia 76ers need all the help they can get when it comes to the center position.
Not only is Joel Embiid's injury history a clear sign that he could struggle to play consistently, but each of the bigs behind him is dealing with their own set of setbacks.
Ariel Hukporti has been diagnosed with an Achilles injury and is out for the season. Adem Bona suffered a foot injury weeks before training camp and never made his debut during the preseason. He is just starting to ramp up the action days before the opener.
The Sixers didn't have another big man on a standard contract, but the third two-way slot was expected to be utilized for the position. The Sixers didn't look outside of the organization to fill it. The veteran big man Tacko Fall was inked to a two-way contract after the 76ers dropped their preseason finale against the Boston Celtics.
However, Fall isn't healthy either. On the second day of training camp, the big man suffered a hip injury, which placed him on a two-week timeline. Similar to Bona, Fall did not have a preseason debut with the Sixers.
Will Tacko Fall suit up for the opener?
The 76ers returned to practice on Sunday afternoon after getting Saturday off. Now that the roster seems to be finalized, the Sixers can focus on how they are going to approach the opening game against the New York Knicks.
Fall was on the court--but in a super limited capacity. According to Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice, Fall participated in individual work. Although reporters asked for a timeline, the 76ers didn't have one to reveal. Nick Nurse might be admittedly "intrigued" by Fall, based on what he saw in limited action, but it might take some more time before the 76ers finally get him on the court.
Ideally, the Sixers can get Bona back on the court for the start of the season. Although he barely got to work with the new-look roster during the offseason, Bona has two seasons of experience playing for Nick Nurse already. He understands what needs to be done.
Across two seasons, the Sixers rolled out Bona for 129 games. He even picked up 29 starts. Seeing the court for 16.6 minutes per game, Bona posted averages of 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds.
The veteran center told reporters on Sunday that a final decision on his playing status hasn't been made. There seems to be optimism on the Bona front, but Fall's debut could still be delayed early on next week.
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