The “Process Era” for the Sixers has been a bit of a mess. They have tried so many running mates for Joel Embiid. First, it was Ben Simmons, and we know how that ended. Then it was James Harden, which went about as well as the Simmons era went. They have also had 3 coaches, 3 GMs, and multiple Teams. But one thing that has changed more than any of those things, has been Joel Embiid’s backup.
He has played with over a dozen backups since he made his Sixers debut in the 2016-2017 season. From Nerlens Noel, all the way up to Paul Reed and Mo Bamba this season. They have tried big guys known for their defense. Smaller guys who could maybe score more. They have gone with veterans, and they have gone with young guys. The Sixers have tried so many different answers, and yet you can count on one hand how many of them have actually worked.
And while Paul Reed is playing okay this year, the Embiid-less minutes, and especially the games he is out, continue to be a massive issue for the Sixers. Mo Bamba can’t even get on the floor unless Embiid is out. But even if those two have not played well enough, Reed is far from the worst backup center Embiid has played with. But who is?
Here are almost all of the backup centers the Sixers have tried. I didn’t count Mike Scott or Ben Simmons. Because even if they played in the “Center” a few times, they were not actual centers. I am sure I missed a few guys who got a small handful of games here and there. But these are the Joel Embiid backups I could recall. All 20 of them.
Here is how I would rank Joel Embiid’s backups:
20) Deandre Jordan
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Jordan was clearly over the hill by the time he landed in Philly. But what made his stint here even more frustrating was Doc River’s insistence on using him. He was getting cooked every time he stepped onto the floor, but Doc kept throwing him out there.
19) Greg Monroe
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Embiid took heat for his performance in the Raptors series in 2018. But you know what their real issue was? The -90 when he was off the floor. Greg Monroe got cooked on defense and offered nothing in terms of offense.
18) Tiago Splitter
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How many people remember Splitter being on the Sixers? He played 8 games here in Embiid’s rookie season, and then never played in the NBA again. He still goes above Monroe and Jordan because not remembering him at all is better than my memory of Jordan and Monroe actively destroying the Sixers hopes of winning.
17) Willie Cauley-Stein
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Cauley-Stein was here for only 2 games, for 6 total minutes, and he scored no points. Like Splitter, he never played another game in his career once the Sixers moved on. I am sensing a trend.
16) Paul Milsap
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Milsap was thrown into the James Harden deal. But like several other guys we talked about, he struggled to get onto the floor. He did start one game, but he didn’t make much of an impact, and wound up being mostly left out of the rotation altogether.
15) Mo Bamba
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Can’t get onto the floor, fails to make an impact when he does get on it. I feel like a need a keyboard shortcut to enter that exact phrase because I am writing it a lot.
14) Norvelle Pelle
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Pelle was an interesting player. The athleticism was there. And he made some explosive plays. But those rare moments weren’t enough to overcome his lack of offense and his poor instincts.
13) Charles Bassey
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Like Pelle, there were things to like about Bassey. Those things just weren’t abundant enough. His offensive game just was not developed enough to be a realistic option when he was here. To his credit, he is still sticking around with the Spurs. But even now the game isn’t good enough to be a backup on a playoff team.
12) Jahlil Okafor
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Okafor couldn’t score outside of the paint, didn’t play defense, and didn’t rebound. So pretty much he had none of the qualities you want in a center. The Sixers held onto him for way too long until his value reach 0. They probably should have traded him after his productive rookie season. Or maybe the genius Sam Hinkie just shouldn’t have drafted his 3rd center in 3 seasons.
11) Boban Marjanovic
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We loved Boban. But it was also very clear he was not good enough. He was pretty much unplayable against any center who can move outside of the paint. And while watching him sunk without jumping, and his relationship with Tobias, were all fun, he was not a very good backup center except against very specific opponents.
10) Kyle O'Quinn
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O’Quinn wasn’t great, and he wasn’t bad. But he was part of that ill advised Horford season, and didn’t see the floor too much with Horford taking a lot of the backup center minutes. But he was fine, just nothing special. He did not have a negative impact on the team like many of these other players, but he didn’t have much of a positive one either. The Sixers were the last team he ever played
10) Amir Johnson
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Amir was actually solid when he first got here. In 2017-2018 he was a solid although unspectacular backup. But the next year was a bit of a mess. So he averages out to being the 10th best, or maybe the 11th worst. Whatever way you want to phrase it.
8) Tony Bradley
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Sixers fans loved this guy. he had a few great games, then got traded, and some Sixers fans lost their mind. We got calls for another two years from fans complaining that he was traded. But look at the rest of his career, and you will see he is at best an adequate backup. But Sixers fans have been so starved for backup centers, they saw one guy have a few good games, and fell in love.
7) Montrezl Harrell
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Another guy who couldn’t get on the floor enough. They brought him in thinking he would at least bring a scoring threat, even if his defense was lacking. But he couldn’t score enouhg, and his defense was lacking. But there was at least a semi-nice pick an roll game between him and Harden when he did play.
6) Paul Reed
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There is a lot that Paul Reed does well. He brings a ton of energy to the floor. And when you are just asking him to play 14 minutes behind Embiid, he gets the job done. But the problem is if you need to him to start in place of an injured Embiid. That is when some of his flaws have been exposed.
5) Richaun Holmes
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There was a ton to love about Holmes. He could make some incredible plays. The problem when he was here, was the simple plays. Too often he was out of position, or getting himself in trouble by trying to make one of those great plays. Still, his ability made him amongst the best backups Embiid ever had.
4) Nerlens Noel
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Noel could defend his position at a very high level. At least in terms of being a backup center. The offensive game was not good enough. But it would be nice to have a guy you can put in for Embiid, and at least know the defense wont fall off too much.
3) Al Horford
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Horford time here was a disaster. That was not all his fault. The idea of putting him and Embiid on the floor together was flawed from the onset. But his effort and his play was also lacking in his time here. But as bad as it went, you cant deny Horford talent. And when he slid over to Center in place of Embiid he did a good job. It was just a poor fit and a bad roster that season.
2) Dwight Howard
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There were times when having Howard as the backup was fantastic. There were times it was not. But when it came down to the playoffs, he was not playing very well. It seemed like the perfect fit at the time, and in some games it was. But he let them down in the Hawks series.
1) Andre Drummond
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Andre Drummond was by far the bets backup Embiid has ever had. The key was he was too good to be a backup. But for whatever reason he was not getting much attention and free agency, and the Sixers were able to bring him in on the cheap. He had to be sent to Brooklyn in the James Harden trade, and Sixers fans have missed him ever since.
