Over the years, finding a suitable backup for Joel Embiid has been a top priority for the Philadelphia 76ers. Following failed experiments with Al Horford and Dwight Howard, they finally appeared to have found their answer behind their franchise cornerstone.
In a crazy turn of events last offseason, Andre Drummond agreed to a deal with the Sixers for the veteran's minimum. Despite being a starter for almost the entirety of his career, he opted to come to Philadelphia to help hold down the frontcourt for Doc Rivers' second unit.
During the first half of the season, Drummond proved to be a valuable asset for the Sixers. He proved why he should still be a starter in this league and provided some big performances on nights where Embiid sat. Then, in an unexpected twist, Drummond was sent to the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden trade.
As the Sixers gear up for a playoff push, they are once again in the market for a backup center. Doc Rivers has said on multiple occasions the team will eye a big man in the buyout market, and it looks like they have their guy. Earlier this week, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sixers will heavily pursue veteran center DeAndre Jordan following his departure from the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The 33-year-old appeared in 32 games for LA this season and posted averages of 4.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks. It is not shocking the Sixers are pursuing Jordan as he has previous connections to Doc Rivers from his Clippers days. Still, all things considered, Jordan is not the answer for the Sixers behind Embiid.
While this decision isn't drastic due to how little the backup center will play come playoffs, the Sixers can do better than Jordan. They signed Willie Cauley-Stein to a 10-day contract, and he can provide everything Jordan does in a younger, more athletic body.
With James Harden in the mix now, the Sixers are smart to pursue a lob-catching center. Given the former MVP's playmaking ability in the pick-and-roll, having a big who can catch passes above the rim will result in easy baskets.
Jordan used to be arguably the most athletic center in the league at one point in his career but is not that guy now. On top of that, he is also not that strong of a defender. Having him anchor the second unit could be a recipe for disaster on the defensive end for small stretches.
His previous two stops tell you all you need to know. The Brooklyn Nets desperately needed size in the frontcourt last season and still opted not to play him at times. Now he was just waived by a mediocre Lakers team that is currently without their All-Star big man in Anthony Davis, and when looking deeper at the numbers, it certainly is not hard to see why things played out this way.
Jordan's individual averages were already nothing to write home about, but things look even worse when looking at the Lakers' team numbers with him on the court. Los Angeles was outscored by 12.3 points per 100 possessions in his 408 minutes, per NBA.com. Frank Vogel's decision to start him 19 times this season was a baffling one.
One thing Jordan does bring is playoff experience, which is a bonus given the Sixers' aspirations of making a deep playoff run. That being said, playoff experience doesn't mean all that much if you can't actually play, which is what his last teams ultimately determined.
The Sixers would be better off going in a different direction to put the finishing touches on their roster.
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