Across four preseasons games, three different members of the Philadelphia 76ers received the majority of minutes filling in for Joel Embiid. When both Embiid and P.J. Tucker sat out the opener against the Brooklyn Nets, Paul Reed garnered the starting nod. When Embiid and Montrezl Harrell didn’t make the trip to Cleveland for a duel with the Cavaliers, Tucker took the reins as a small-ball center. In the preseason finale Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, Embiid suited up, with Harrell flanking him. Reed didn’t play until the latter stages of the night.
For the better part of a decade, the backup five spot has been a steadfast point of consternation for the Sixers.