The Philadelphia 76ers entered training camp with their center spot already under the microscope, and Tacko Fall’s bid to stick around has hit an early snag.
The team’s depth at the position has been thin for months. Philadelphia moved on from former second-round pick Johni Broome, and then learned that Adem Bona would not be available when camp opened. That left Joel Embiid and Ariel Hukporti as the only true centers on standard deals.
Fall, who is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, is competing for one of the Sixers’ final two-way openings. On paper, the big man had a real opening here. Instead, he ran into a problem just two days into camp.
According to PHLY’s Derek Bodner, head coach Nick Nurse said Fall “experienced a hip thing” during Wednesday’s session. Bodner later reported that Fall was dealing with “hip soreness” and would be evaluated before Thursday’s practice. His availability for that workout remains unclear.
At least from the early reporting, this does not sound like a long-term issue. But for Fall, every practice rep matters. On a camp deal, he does not have much margin for error, and any missed time can quickly become a serious setback at this stage of his career.
Fall entered the NBA in 2019 as an undrafted player out of UCF, then signed with the Boston Celtics. He spent two seasons in Boston, appearing in just 19 games in his second and final year with the team.
Before the 2021-2022 season, Fall joined the Cleveland Cavaliers and played in 11 games, averaging 5.4 minutes per contest. Since leaving Cleveland, he has been playing outside the NBA. Philadelphia is now giving him a chance to show where he stands and possibly earn another two-way contract with the franchise.
The Sixers are still sorting through the backup center picture behind Embiid. Hukporti arrived from the New York Knicks, Bona is expected to get a look once he is healthy and returns for a third season, and Dominick Barlow could also factor in as a small-ball five after spending last season at power forward for Philadelphia.
There is still plenty of time for things to change, but Fall has not gotten off to the kind of start he needed. If the issue lingers, that only makes the climb steeper.
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