The Philadelphia 76ers had just opened their season against the New York Knicks, and right from the get-go, it was apparent that the hosts will have a big advantage on a key aspect of the game –– the center position. While Joel Embiid suited up for this one, the reigning NBA champions immediately showed a formula for how to make Philly sweat –– and it only took them one half of basketball to do so.
After just two quarters of gameplay, the 76ers already look pretty vulnerable with their current crop of big men. Embiid looked good right away, but the same cannot be said for both Adem Bona and Jabari Walker, who struggled against Andre Drummond, who is their counterpart on the Knicks off the bench.
The 76ers got exposed for their flimpsy depth at center after just one half
Karl-Anthony Towns found himself in foul trouble quickly, but the Knicks got to savor a pretty dominant first-half showing from former 76ers big man Andre Drummond. The veteran center went into the halftime break with 10 points and 12 rebounds under his name, just flat-out dominating anyone Nick Nurse deployed to go head-to-head with him inside.
Bona, who was coming off injury after a lost preseason, played just four minutes in the first half while the undersized Jabari Walker played just three. Lacking options with Dominick Barlow, Tacko Fall, and Dean Wade sidelined, the coaches even had LeBron James slotted in at center for a spurt.
It is only the first game, so this can still qualify as an overreaction, but forecasts about the 76ers possibly struggling at the center position behind Embiid have been pretty loud, clear, and recurrent all summer long. Now that the games do count in the standings, they can only expect teams to exploit that huge area of weakness for their otherwise star-studded squad.
Teams with physically imposing big men like New York will repeatedly be successful in grinding Philadelphia out if their personnel remains the same. A bit more sample size is needed, but even at this juncture, the front office should already be on the lookout for ways to upgrade at center. Their bench is looking very vulnerable once more, and it is all because of its lack of a reliable anchor at the five.
The 76ers need a strong start to the season, but if they cannot solve this problem, some losses could already be waiting to get jotted down in their win-loss card.
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