The 76ers probably did not anticipate Jabari Walker being a critical piece of the puzzle for the team, but that might just be his fate this season. With Philadelphia still dealing with injuries from left to right with respect to their pool of backup big men, the 24-year-old now has a prime opportunity to take advantage of that opening to land a lasting role with the group as their primary backup center moving forward.
Right now, Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow, and Tacko Fall are all injured and/or sidelined. Philly has a pretty noticeable hole at the center position, especially when Joel Embiid is resting or is out of commission. This makes it incumbent upon Walker –– the only fully healthy big man the 76ers have right now –– to take ownership of the crucial role of being the go-to center for the team off the bench.
Jabari Walker cannot waste the opportunity he now has with the 76ers
After a surprisingly solid stint with the franchise last season, Walker was retained by the front office. Lo and behold, the young big man turned in a remarkable performance during the preseason, consistently producing great numbers from night in and night out.
However, his role when the regular season kicked in was not as reduced as expected. So far, he has averaged just eight minutes per outing in his five appearances so far, but he has looked dependable even in short spurts with his defensive acuity, tenacious rebounding, and workable perimeter presence.
So far, the coaching staff has been reliant on their small-ball configurations to survive the non-Embiid minutes, with Dean Wade and LeBron James often playing as the nominal center, but Walker will most likely end up being under serious consideration to man that role. And if he can shine by bringing a badly needed three-and-D presence at center, he could even secure a permanent role as their primary backup big.
Bona, who is the preferred choice of the coaching staff at the moment, has just been injured. And even when he was healthy, he remained largely inconsistent, with his old issues still surfacing. The 76ers are under a strict win-now edict, and soon enough, the team will grow tired of his plateauing play.
Jabari Walker is hungry for a stable role with the 76ers, and he has the skills and the drive to catapult himself into the rotation. Fortunately for him, he can turn the team's current injury problems into an opportunity he simply cannot waste if he wants to establish himself as a tenable role player not only on the team, but in the league as a whole.
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