The Philadelphia 76ers were prepared for this. For the instance that big man Joel Embiid would be sidelined for an extended time, they made the moves necessary in the offseason to be ready for it.
That very moment has arisen as Embiid will be re-evaluated in a week or two following surgery on Friday to repair a torn ligament in his left hand. They will be missing his 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds per game output, but they have plenty of options to hold down the fort until he returns.
Al Horford
This is it. This is Al Horford’s time to shine. The main reason they brought him in quickly in free agency was for this exact moment. Horford is insurance for Embiid and now the Sixers will run an offense centered around their new center for the time being. He had 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in Thursday’s win over the Boston Celtics and coach Brett Brown will feature him much more going forward.
“Probably to feature him more,” Brown said on Horford’s new role. “I don’t pay much attention, but with the questions I get asked, I think people have to understand in that old world as of 24 hours ago with Joel, he’s not featured as much. It’s part of being on a good team and he accepts that.”
Horford will now be able to get back to a position he is more comfortable at and the team will be able to run things just fine without him.
Norvel Pelle
Pelle will now get ample opportunity to be the backup big man and it will give him a chance to give the Sixers a reason to convert his contract to a fully guaranteed one as he is still on a two-way deal. He had six points, four rebounds, and two blocks against the Celtics on Thursday and his rim protection is what interests Brown.
“He’s far more of a rim protector,” he said. “Really excellent back and trying to read things, obviously doesn’t have the experience that Kyle (O’Quinn) has, but is kind of built out of Nerlens, Capela type flyer mode.”
There will be nights when Pelle is overwhelmed with things, but he has proven capable of being trusted out there for stretches at a time.
Kyle O’Quinn
O’Quinn has not played much yet with the Sixers due to the presence of Embiid and Horford combined with the emergence of Pelle, but he will be a factor in this time with the big fella sidelined. He’s a veteran player who stays ready when called upon and Brown has him in mind when thinking of who his center will be.
“He hasn’t come in here and played that much basketball for us to date and he still is like a personality and a spirit in the locker room, on a plane, on a bus. I think he’s incredible,” said Brown. “I love him on this team. He can make a shot, he’s an excellent passer, he probably would be more of an aggressive pick-and-roll guy than he would drop.”
O’Quinn has made six of 18 attempts from deep on the season, good for 33.3%.
Jonah Bolden
Yes, Bolden will also get a look during the time period with Embiid out. He has spent the majority of the season in the G League, but he will be called up and he will have an opportunity to play.
“You look out on to the floor and you’re going to see Jonah Bolden come into the team,” said Brown on Thursday. “There are things that we can do with other players, but I do think that it’s still there.”
Bolden is averaging 11.6 points and 6.9 rebounds with the Delaware Blue Coats and is shooting 35.6% from deep so he offers something different. He can be energetic on either end while also being able to knock down a shot.
Other options
Another option has been Ben Simmons as he played some center minutes on Thursday. The point guard is 6-foot-10 so that gives Brown another option who is so versatile and he can be used all over the lineup. He is like the ultimate chess piece. Another option includes Mike Scott and using his physicality and quickness at that spot. However, that probably won’t be an option for the long haul. [lawrence-related id=23247,23260,23238]