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Should Philadelphia 76ers Consider Center In 2017 NBA Draft?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:00 p.m. ET

Fansided, Bret Stuter/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

Now that the Philadelphia 76ers center rookie Joel Embiid has arrived, there is a risk to overestimating the team’s depth at center. Who should the Philadelphia 76ers look at in the 2017 NBA Draft as potential prospects?

The Philadelphia 76ers roster currently boasts four plus centers on the roster right now: Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and Richaun Holmes. But in the rapid-changing world of the NBA, we know how quickly conditions can change.

Right off the bat, we know that, barring some unforeseen miracle, Nerlens Noel has likely burned a “look forward” only trail out of Philadelphia. As such, the team will likely lean more heavily on Richaun Holmes next season.

While the jury is still out on a pairing of Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, early trials suggest that the compatibility just isn’t happening as expected. Since the team was unable to blend a Nerlens Noel/Jahlil Okafor pairing, the conclusion may eventually lead the team to deal Jahlil Okafor this off-season as well.

Brett Brown has been playing the Okafor/Embiid pairing less and less, and the defensive concerns are real. #sixers pic.twitter.com/40ZloVD0L5

— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) December 21, 2016

And so, the team could look at a 2017-2018 season with Joel Embiid starting and Richaun Holmes playing reserve. That scenario begs for reinforcements from the nba draft.

Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward Nerlens Noel (M) and forward Ben Simmons (R) during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Toronto Raptors won 123.114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

How Important Will Center Be?

Placing a priority on center today is not only difficult to do, it’s rather foolish. The variables which impact how important a center position will be in the 2017 NBA Draft will likely be made up of player health, attrition, fit, development, off-court issues, and the overall synergy between the team and each player on the roster at the center position.

So why try?

I’m glad you asked. The Philadelphia 76ers have plenty of prospects scattered in various basketball venues today.

With the past history of the team, there was never a limited supply of talent. The qualities of who piqued the team’s interest might have been the right shot mechanics in a video, it may have been the right height, weight, and wingspan to make a go of it. Whatever it was, there are plenty of qualified hopefuls out there.

Some never made it past the first interview. Some were given an opportunity to play overseas while their skills further honed to NBA-caliber.

The team has 6-foot-5 point guard Vasilije Micic and 6-foot-7 shooting guard Furkan Korkmaz playing in the Euroleague. The team also has a few NBA hopeful prospects at the development league affiliate, the Delaware 87ers.

Oct 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers Dionte Christmas (33) drives against Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (3) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Delaware 87ers D-League is D Place to Be

The 76ers and the 87ers benefit from a close relationship. Not only do the teams exchange coaching resources, the 76ers make use of the 87ers to get players rehabbed and share playing minutes with underused prospects like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot this year.

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With future rule changes in the new collective bargaining agreement, the teams will work even more closely together. In fact, several players who had caught the eye of the Philadelphia 76ers are currently on the roster of the 87ers. Their roster includes: guard Cat Barber, guard Dionte Christmas, center/power forward Shawn Long, and forward James Webb III. The team also once held the likes of Brandon Paul before Paul signed a contract to play with Furkan Korkmaz on the Anadolu Efes team in Turkey.

The only problem with all of this raw talent is that most of it centers in the back court. Only 6-foot-9 248 pound Shawn Long plays center in the D-League, and he projects as a power forward in the NBA.

No centers to speak of.

And so, the pipeline of talent laid every so deliberately and carefully to get the Philadelphia 76ers to this early point in “The Build” is already approaching it’s first crisis. Will the team respond effectively?

Sep 11, 2015; Springfield, MA, USA; Dikembe Mutombo speaks during the 2015 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Springfield Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

A Tall History

If you study the history of the Philadelphia 76ers, two things jump out. The center position is an awfully difficult position to fill when you need an NBA top center. If/when the Philadelphia 76ers find a top center, the team does remarkably well.

The Philadelphia 76ers traded for Moses Malone, and then proceeded to dominate the NBA on their way to the 1983 championship.

So too did the team finally pair up a worthy center for star guard Allen Iverson. That center was none other than Dikembe Mutombo. While the Lakers eventually won the series, this was the closest Allen Iverson came to donning a championship ring

In the end, the greatest NBA teams had a great big man in the mix.

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; General view during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Pour Me A Tall Draft

Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers appear to be well suited to gain ground in the 2017 NBA Draft. Ignoring the NBA lottery system for a moment, the Philadelphia 76ers look to be drafting at one and seven (courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers) in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. In round two, the Philadelphia 76ers look to be picking at 43rd and 60th (courtesy of the Detroit Pistons and Golden State Warriors respectfully).

Who might be there? Well, the Philadelphia 76ers will have bigger fish to fry with the first round. With the team looking at point guard Ben Simmons, center Joel Embiid, forward Dario Saric, shooting guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, the team will most certainly look to fill a small forward role with an early draft pick.

So that places the likelihood of the best player available to the Philadelphia 76ers in round two. Can the team find a diamond in the rough there? Well, the team managed to find Bowling Green’s Richaun Holmes in the 2015 second round at 37.

The first place to look into the 2017 NBA Draft is for falling stars. And The Sixer Sense stargazer, Christopher Kline, may have spotted one.

Dec 17, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers center Thomas Bryant (31) reacts to a foul committed in the second half of the game against the Butler Bulldogs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Butler beat Indiana 83-78. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

1. C Thomas Bryant, Indiana

Height/Weight: 6-10, 241 lbs

You can check out his write up in its entirety here, but I want to pull a little bit for you:

Being the high-energy player that he is, there should be several easily-transferable aspects of his game in regards to the NBA. He can rebound the ball at a high level around the basket, and his defensive concerns at the very least aren’t caused by a lack of desire. He’s willing to go after the ball and match the highest levels of physicality around the basket, and that’s likely his calling card heading to the next level for the time being.

Bryant has showed flashes of shooting the ball from deep — a huge, huge development in his game — but it’s not necessarily something teams in the NBA can rely on yet.

Any player brought to the Philadelphia 76ers will have flaws. The key will be to manage the flaws in terms of ‘can coaching fix that?” in the case of Bryant, the answer feels like a yes.

The Sixer Sense is not the only stargazing service. FanSided’s J.Z. Mazlish concurs with Kline, and believes that Bryant has the upside to work that perimeter shot in the NBA.

His 3-point shot isn’t a consistent weapon yet, but he’s got solid form and is a decent bet to morph into a minor perimeter threat. Bryant combines his stroke with soft touch, a good feel for creating space around the rim and a 7-foot-5 wingspan, which he uses to his advantage on both ends of the court.

Since the Philadelphia 76ers have three-point plays to run from the center, Bryant could be worth the look.

Dec 23, 2016; Hartford, CT, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Jared Harper (1) drives the ball against Connecticut Huskies center Amida Brimah (35) and guard Christian Vital (1) in the second half at XL Center. Auburn defeated UConn in overtime 70-67. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

2. C Amida Brimah, UConn

Height/Weight: 6-11, 230 lbs

And so, the next prospect likely to remain on the board in the second round is University of Connecticut’s Amida Brimah. Brimah is a pure college senior who touts a great deal raw ability. A late bloomer, he is just coming into his own as a basketball player. Has physical tools which can’t be taught, including great height, length and mobility.

He naturally excels on the defensive end and shows signs of becoming a true rim protector. he understands his length well and resist temptation of jumping for pump fakes. When he does jump, he elevates very quickly.

He has improved in offensive game. While he is still timid and seems to seek passing rather than shooting the ball, he can score. In fact, he often but hits a high percentage and chooses his shot selection wisely.

However, he is still very raw and unseasoned. His talent is based more on his dimensions and less on basketball wisdom. Standing 6-foot-11, his 230 pound frame needs at least 15 pounds more of muscle mass to endure at the NBA level. His frame shows the capacity to bulk up, but his body appears to be strolling in that direction. As a rim protector, one of his greatest offensive weapons should be the free throw shot. However, he needs to improve the accuracy from the foul line dramatically as well. His shot mechanics are good, so this should be attainable with good coaching.

Dec 19, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles center Luke Fischer (40) during the game against the St Francis Red Flash at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

3. C Luke Fischer, Marquette

Height/Weight: 6-11, 250 lbs

One of the true pluses about Marquette center Luke Fischer is the fact that he is a true senior. Of course one of the detractors about Marquette center Luke Fischer is the fact that he is a senior. As college basketball has descended to the one and done college athlete, the players who remain have the advantage of maturity in both mindset and in physicality. However, if the court production does not keep pace, flags about the player can arise.

Fortunately for Fischer, he has improved. His height and weight are at a good place for a college senior, and as he has grown so too has his shot arsenal. He shows some offense, scoring as many as 22 points in 19 minutes on nine of ten shooting. Cursed by timidity in his sophomore and junior seasons, senior Fischer appears to be willing to step up and become more active in the game tempo, as well as a focus for his team.

While Fischer is most comfortable with his back to the basket, he has made serious strides in taking the ball off a cutter or while trailing in transition. He continues to work on his jumper and mid range shots overall.

Defensively, Fischer is better closer to the basket than away. Fischer has good strength and size, but seems to struggle with focus and intensity at times. Throughout his senior year, his consistency will be the major question. So far this season, he has shown signs of improvement across the board. While he is likely to remain on the board well into the second round, he could be significantly undervalued if he falls too far.

Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

4. C Michael Fusek, Spirou Charleroi (Belgium)

Height/Weight: 7-5, 220 lbs

The last center we’ll discuss is Michael Fusek. He is a very tall 7-foot-5 center but has surprising agility. His best moves are cutting to the basket and finishing plays at the rim due to his overall size. On top of the height, he also has good leaping ability, over 30 inches, placing his vertical among the highest in the NBA.

Fusek shows fluid movement, and is highly coordinated even when starting and stopping. His dimensions give him an advantage defensively in the NBA. He shows good instincts timing his jumps and hand placement when shot blocking. As an added bonus, he knows how to keep the ball in play on his blocks, too, creating turnovers rather than lower shooting accuracy.

Fusek is still underdeveloped physically, and his upper body is not strong enough to endure the pounding even at his current level of competition. Gaining weight is not easy, and appears to be a slow process. Fusek is a natural rim protector who has the upside to evolve into great defender. To do so, he will need to put on muscle mass to enable playing against heavier, physical players.

He has a positive outlook, and uses his natural size advantage when hauling in rebounds. As many second round prospects, he must continue to improve his overall skill set, strength, aggressiveness and confidence. He is a very raw player with the potential to achieve a very high level thanks to his size, mobility and attitude.