The 76ers are staring at a center situation that already looks fragile before the opener even arrives, and Tacko Fall’s status is just the latest reminder.
Philadelphia brought Fall in on a two-way contract after the preseason finale against the Boston Celtics, hoping to add some size behind Joel Embiid. But the big man wasn’t coming in cleanly. Fall suffered a hip injury on the second day of training camp and was put on a two-week timeline, which meant he never got into a preseason game with the Sixers.
That leaves Philadelphia trying to piece together its frontcourt depth with questions everywhere. Embiid’s injury history is obvious enough, but the options behind him have also been hit hard.
Ariel Hukporti has been diagnosed with an Achilles injury and is out for the season. Adem Bona, who hurt his foot weeks before training camp, also missed the preseason and is only now beginning to ramp things up days before the opener.
The Sixers did not go outside the organization for another standard-contract big, even though the third two-way spot was expected to go to that position. Instead, they turned to Fall.
But Sunday’s practice did not bring any big breakthrough. Philadelphia was back on the floor after taking Saturday off, and Fall was present, though in a very limited role.
Per Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice, he took part in individual work. When reporters pressed for an update, the team had no timeline to give.
Nick Nurse has at least seen enough in the limited samples to be "intrigued" by Fall, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to jump into game action right away.
Bona, meanwhile, remains the likelier short-term answer if the Sixers can get him cleared in time for the start of the season. He has the advantage of familiarity after two seasons in Nurse’s system, even if he barely had time to work with the revamped roster this offseason.
In those two seasons, Philadelphia used Bona in 129 games and gave him 29 starts. He averaged 16.6 minutes, 5.3 points, and 4.3 rebounds.
As of Sunday, Bona told reporters that no final decision had been made on his status. There’s optimism there, but Fall may still be waiting into next week before getting his own debut.
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