Free agency in the NBA is about a month away now and the Philadelphia 76ers will have their options as they get set to try and improve the roster around their star duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden.
One issue that popped up during the playoffs was their bench unit. Specifically, the backup center position.
At the beginning of the season, the Sixers had Andre Drummond backing up Embiid, but they had to move Drummond to the Brooklyn Nets in the Harden deal. They tried to replace him with the aging DeAndre Jordan, but the move did not pay off as they expected.
They then turned to Paul Reed in the playoffs, but the young big man has a long way to go in terms of being able to stay on the floor with his fouling issues despite his infectious energy.
One option in free agency could be Los Angeles Clippers big man Isaiah Hartenstein. The Sixers have been viewed as a possible fit for him by Bleacher Report as they have said:
Opponents shot 47.5 percent against him at the hoop—the stingiest mark among 163 players to challenge at least 150 attempts. And his 19.3 assist rate ranked sixth among centers who averaged 15 or more minutes per game. He isn’t a detonative lob threat, but he can finish tough catch-and-lay-ins above the rim and has some outside range. He nailed 14 of his 30 three-point attempts (46.7 percent) and found nylon on almost 59 percent of his floaters (55-of-93).
The Sixers could absolutely use a guy like Hartenstein as he is somebody who can step out and knock down a triple while also being able to finish inside off a pick-and-roll. He also is a very good rim protector as somebody who uses his size to his advantage.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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