It's clear the 76ers have issues in the frontcourt even with a 3-1 start to the season. A string of recent bad injury luck certainly hasn't helped Philadelphia find answers at center early on, but its fortunes are finally starting to change.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that two-way big man Tacko Fall was upgraded to a full participant at practice. This is an especially encouraging sign for the towering center, who's been forced to miss the entire preseason and the first four games of the campaign due to a lingering hip strain.
Now, it sets up Fall to make his 76ers debut. But his return from injury is so meaningful that it could shape Philly's entire week.
A lack of presence at center is clear and is the biggest problem for Philadelphia. The new starting five looks pretty dang good together, but they can't do everything, which would be a major benefit to this team.
One clear sore spot for the Sixers is rebounding , with Adem Bona being the only real center left after Ariel Hukporti went down. But Bona continues to frustrate, as he needs to make his physical presence felt on the court.
With three rebounds or fewer in three of four outings so far, the 76ers aren't getting what they need from Bona, and he's giving them no reason not to explore other options. And that's where Fall comes in.
Assuming he is 100% again, Philly could now elevate Fall as a two-way player to the main roster for this week and give him the main backup role for games against the Pacers, Knicks, and Hornets to test him as a legitimate center solution.
Update: Fall is listed as out for Wednesday's contest against Indiana, though it's possible he still does end up playing at some point this week. The rest of our original story follows below.
Maybe he fails in ugly fashion. Maybe he excels. Maybe he shows some good that could be useful in a supporting depth role. Whatever the ultimate result, it's information Nick Nurse and co. should really be after, with Bona already making it clear he's not main backup material.
This trio of games in Philly's second week is also a great test for Fall, as he'd come across a star in Karl-Anthony Towns, a very good starting center in Ivica Zubac, and a multi-faceted frontcourt in Charlotte with Naz Reid, Moussa Diabate, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. That'd show how he can respond against a pretty representative sample of the center talent he needs to sometimes beat (or at least match).
Sticking with Bona and relegating Fall to only a handful of minutes doesn't do Nurse much good. There's been enough of a sample size on the incumbent candidate to draw conclusions on his viability. But Fall offers the unknown, which could disappoint, but may also lead to a positive step toward solidifying the center rotation if it turns out the signs that led the team to sign him show themselves.
And in reality, Bona's 14.5 minutes per game isn't big enough that investing those somewhere else should lead to any negative effects, while there's potential for him to be much more productive with Fall in his place. That adds to the reasons to make this week about featuring Fall and deeply exploring what he can give this squad at this point in his career.
No matter what this experiment brings to light, it will be helpful in determining what the Sixers need (or don't) at center.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/76ers/onsi as Tacko Fall Injury News Could Change 76ers' Entire Week .
