The 76ers may have added more star power around Joel Embiid, but the early-season plan still looks uncomfortably familiar: lean on the big man because there just isn’t enough certainty behind him.
That’s the issue Philadelphia is staring at right now. Embiid should, in theory, benefit from a stronger supporting cast this season.
Instead, the team’s depth at center is already looking thin enough to push him right back into a heavy workload. And with Embiid’s injury history, that’s exactly the kind of setup the 76ers were hoping to avoid.
The problem starts with the bench. Ariel Hukporti is out for the season with an Achilles injury, leaving one less body in the frontcourt mix. Meanwhile, Dominick Barlow and Adem Bona, the two players who were expected to compete for the primary backup center job, have not yet seen preseason action.
Neither player has been ruled out for the rest of the preseason, but that doesn’t change the immediate concern. If they return late, they’ll be trying to get up to speed as the regular season begins, which puts even more pressure on Embiid to shoulder the load early.
That’s not a comfortable spot for Philadelphia, especially because there isn’t a clean fallback option. Jabari Walker has looked impressive so far, but using him as the backup five is a limited solution since he’s undersized and better suited to power forward. Dean Wade presents a similar issue, as he’s at his best as a forward rather than a true center.
So even with some variance still left in the preseason, the picture is getting clearer. The 76ers may end up doing the thing they were trying to avoid: asking Embiid to carry too much, too soon. His scoring burden might be lighter, but the minutes could still pile up because the roster simply doesn’t have another reliable center option right now.
For a team that wants a strong start, the logic is easy to see. The risk is just as obvious. Embiid needs more than routine caution, but at this point Philadelphia may not have the depth to give it to him.
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