The Center Battle, LeBron's Fit and Philon's Leash: What…

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Friday, October 2

Camp notebooks from the Inquirer, The Sixer Sense and Liberty Ballers are previewing the real roster questions: who backs up Embiid, whether LeBron and Embiid actually fit, and how much rope Philon gets as a rookie guard. None of it is settled — these are reports and arguments, not decisions Nurse has made.

76ers Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Who wins the backup center job, Bona or Hukporti?

The Inquirer's Gina Mizell reported that Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti have pushed each other since they were teenagers and are now fighting for the backup minutes behind Joel Embiid. Liberty Ballers reported Fall will be re-evaluated in two weeks for his hip strain, which matches the Oct. 16 timeline already on record. Bona is targeting Oct. 5 off a foot injury; Hukporti carries no injury tag at all, which right now is his best argument.

Does LeBron actually fit next to Embiid?

The Sixer Sense's Nathan Doyle flagged a lineup problem: playing LeBron James and Embiid together could crowd the paint, since both want touches inside the arc, and Nurse hasn't tipped his hand on minutes splits. The Sixer Sense's Nicolas Kyle Pring took the other side, arguing James gives Philadelphia the switchable wing depth it lacked last season, when the defense ranked 16th of 30. Both are reports, not a rotation Nurse has actually announced.

Is Philon getting real run as a rookie, or stashed?

The Sixer Sense's Justin Grasso argued the 76ers shouldn't bury Labaron Philon by default, citing his ball-handling as a fit next to Maxey and Edgecombe. The Sixer Sense's Pring followed with a piece on Philon's biggest red flag, which cuts against that case. With Kyle Lowry, MarJon Beauchamp and Tyrese Martin all gone since Sept. 21, the guard room is thinner than it was — the strongest reason to actually give Philon the look Grasso wants.

Should fans trust the good vibes out of camp?

The Sixer Sense's Jack Simone called this the most volatile outlook in the league, and last season's numbers leave room for both sides: a defense that ranked 16th of 30 and a net rating of -0.1, settled nowhere. Liberty Ballers' Bryan Toporek argued the defensive worries are overblown, and colleague Paul Hudrick read the roster's role sacrifices as a good sign. None of it shows up in a box score yet — camp optimism has been wrong about this team.

The verdictThe backup center job is Bona's to lose once he's healthy, the LeBron-Embiid fit is a real question nobody outside the building has answered, and Philon deserves the run his advocates want but hasn't gotten yet. Camp talk is camp talk until Nurse sets an actual rotation.

Who is the 76ers' backup center right now?

Nobody's locked it down — Adem Bona, Ariel Hukporti and Tacko Fall are all in the mix, with Bona and Fall both working back from injuries.

Does LeBron James fit well with Joel Embiid in the starting lineup?

That's unresolved — beat writers are split between a spacing concern and a defensive upgrade, and Nick Nurse hasn't revealed his rotation plan.