Ariel Hukporti is out for the season, tearing his Achilles, and that’s just absolutely brutal for the Sixers. It exposes their already flimsy center depth, leaving Joel Embiid as basically the only reliable big man. This isn’t just a minor setback, folks, this is a full-blown crisis for a team trying to make some noise.
The Hard Truth: No Easy Fixes for Philly’s Frontcourt
Here’s the real gut punch for the Sixers: replacing Hukporti isn’t simple. Not by a long shot. The team is slammed up against the first apron of the hard cap. That means they’ve got virtually zero wiggle room to sign anyone other than an undrafted free agent rookie. To even get someone on a standard contract, they’d have to make tough choices, like waiving Jabari Walker or dumping salary. It’s a financial chokehold, plain and simple. The one small ray of hope is an open two-way spot. They’ve used these spots well before, turning guys like Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker from two-way deals into standard contracts last year. So, there’s a path, but it’s a narrow one.
Looking for a Lifeline: The Pacers’ Exhibit 10 Guys
So, with the Sixers desperately scanning the league, some names are popping up from training camp battles, especially those Exhibit 10 deals. Down in Indiana, the Pacers have a couple of bigs on those kinds of deals: Rienk Mast and Keba Keita. Mast, at 6’10” and 250 pounds, feels like the more intriguing option. He played his final two college seasons at Nebraska, averaging 12.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 29.5 minutes over 66 games. His shot-blocking numbers weren’t eye-popping, with only 26 total blocks in those two years, but here’s the kicker: he shot 32.5 percent from deep on 4.3 attempts per game. That floor-spacing ability could be HUGE for the Sixers.
Then there’s Keita, coming in at 6’8″ and 230 pounds. He split his college time between Utah and BYU, but his stats never really exploded, topping out at 8.3 points or 7.9 rebounds in any of his four seasons. He blocked shots better than Mast in college, but you gotta wonder how much that translates to the NBA with his height. The Pacers do have an open roster spot, so they could keep one of these guys. But if either gets sent down to the G League? The Sixers could swoop in for a much-needed stopgap. The search for a backup center is officially on, and it’s going to be a wild ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Liberty Ballers.
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