Heading into the season, frontcourt depth behind Joel Embiid looked like a legitimate concern for the Sixers. When Ariel Hukporti suffered a torn Achilles in the preseason opener, those questions ratcheted up tenfold.
But not even the most glass-half-empty pessimist could have anticipated how dire the Sixers’ frontcourt situation would be for Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.
Embiid is out with “right foot plantar fascia injury management,” which is no surprise since it’s the first end of a back-to-back.
Dominick Barlow is still dealing with the low back stress reaction that has delayed his season debut. Adem Bona is out at least for another few days with a cervical spine strain. And Hukporti is obviously out as well, barring a medical miracle in the next few hours that can instantly cure torn Achilles tendons.
Jabari Walker, who stands 6-foot-7, figures to draw the start at “center” for the Sixers. The other options at head coach Nick Nurse’s disposal are 6-foot-9 forwards LeBron James and/or Dean Wade, along with two-way signee Tacko Fall.
Walker is a strong rebounder and does what he can to make up for his lack of height, but he provides almost zero rim protection. The Pacers figure to force the issue down low with Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac all game as long as those two can stay out of foul trouble.
Might this be our best chance yet for Tacko Time? He played three minutes in the blowout loss to Cleveland last Friday and made a brief cameo at the end of their win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, but that’s the extent of his playing time thus far this season. Jaylen Brown, his former teammate in Boston, recently advocated for more Tacko Time, particularly given the depleted state of the Sixers’ frontcourt.
Barlow appears to be on the mend, although Bona is facing a murky timetable to return. Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters earlier this week that Bona had seen a specialist for his injury and would be out for at least another week, which has effectively granted the backup 5 job to Walker by default for now.
The Sixers have little choice but to downsize against the Pacers now, which is hardly optimal against the 6-foot-8 Siakam and the 7-foot Zubac. The Pacers might have a layup line all game, although this will force the Sixers to get creative defensively. They should look at this as an opportunity to hone their small-ball looks against traditional frontcourts and figure out counterpunches if their opponent looks to just pound the ball inside.
If the Sixers do succumb to Tacko Time and give him more playing time than they have to date, that could also help them answer some questions about how they’re using that roster spot. If the Pacers drag him into every offensive action, how long can Nurse stick with him before the game slips away from them? Can he hold his own and buy them some time? If not, what’s the point in spending a two-way spot on him in the first place?
We’re still a few weeks away from the Sixers being able to sign someone to a prorated veteran-minimum contract while staying under their first-apron hard cap. Trade winds are beginning to swirl now that the season is almost one month old, but the Sixers can’t include anyone whom they signed this offseason until Dec. 15, which leaves Justin Edwards’ $2.4 million contact as their best salary-matching trade bait for now.
The Sixers would likely prefer to avoid having to fill their final roster spot until they get closer to the trade deadline so they can maintain as much optionality as possible. But if Barlow and Bona don’t return soon, how the Sixers fare Sunday in an Embiid-less game could help determine how imminently they need to solve their backup center issues.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.
Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
