3 Thoughts on Sixers' Backup Center Situation With Dewayne Dedmon

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia 76ers officially inked a contract with the veteran big man, Dewayne Dedmon. After spending the first half of the season with the Miami Heat, Dedmon found himself traded to the San Antonio Spurs.

Being in the middle of a rebuild, the Spurs didn’t have much of a need for the 33-year-old big man. Therefore, they cut ties with Dedmon before his arrival in San Antonio and allowed the veteran to hit the open market to sign with a contender.

The Sixers have multiple backup bigs behind Joel Embiid in Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed. Throughout the year, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers has rotated the backup bigs, giving both veterans a multi-game stint at a time to take over the non-Embiid minutes.

With Dedmon in the fold, the Sixers get another veteran that could cut into those minutes behind the six-time All-Star. With the big man’s debut potentially coming on Wednesday night when the Sixers face the Cleveland Cavaliers, here are a few thoughts:

1. Sixers Shouldn’t Shy Away From Reed

Doc Rivers admitted that the struggles of Harrell recently convinced him to utilize Reed as the primary backup center for the time being. Over the last three games, Reed averaged 13 minutes, three points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block.

At this point in Reed’s career, he’s still prone to fouling and makes his fair share of mistakes in limited minutes, but the Sixers shouldn’t immediately go to Dedmon to replace the young center. When comparing the two, Reed has been more productive in key departments this year, with only 25 extra minutes of playing time.

On offense, Dedmon has averaged 60 percent on shots from around the rim, while Reed has averaged 70 percent. Defensively, Reed holds a higher block and steal percentage on the floor. In the rebounding department, both players rank above the 80th percentile on defensive rebounds at the center position, with Reed getting a slight edge.

Meanwhile, when it comes to offensive rebounding, Reed was significantly more productive this season by coming down with 12.8 percent of Philly’s missed shots, as opposed to Dedmon’s 7.8 percent. The Sixers should give Dedmon a look to see if he’s a real difference-maker, but Reed shouldn’t be buried on the depth chart. He has his struggles at times, but what young and developing player doesn’t?

2. Sixers Are Getting Size

When Joel Embiid misses time, Doc Rivers tends to joke that without the seven-footer, the Sixers don’t have any bigs. Harrell is billed at 6’8”. Reed is listed as the same. Now that Dedmon’s in the picture, the Sixers have another seven-footer on the roster. While additional height isn’t the answer to all of the Sixers’ problems, the Sixers’ front office filled a clear need for Rivers, who always pointed to the roster having a lack of centers on board, making situations difficult when size is needed.

3. Philly’s Got Another Big Floor Spacer

In today’s NBA, a lot of centers can do it all. Joel Embiid is a great example, as he’s a three-level scorer, posing a threat as a three-point shooter. Behind Embiid, the Sixers didn’t have a three-point threat in the second unit.

In warmups, Harrell and Reed can hit threes, but when it comes to game time, they aren’t going to space the floor in that way. Throughout his three-year career, Reed has attempted 18 threes in 892 minutes of action. As for Harrell, he’s taken just 79 threes over a 500-plus game span.

To compare, Dedmon has attempted 458 more threes than Harrell and Reed’s numbers combined. And he’s not exactly bad at it, either. While Dedmon wasn’t a three-point threat through his first four years in the league, he’s averaged 34 percent from deep since 2018.

Last year with the Heat, Dedmon attempted 42 threes, knocking down 45 percent of his attempts. While that number was down to 31 percent this season, Dedmon’s shot has to be respected. And a stretch-five type could give the Sixers’ second unit a different look than usual.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

Must-Read 76ers News

Dewayne Dedmon Explains Decision to Join Sixers

After a two-season stint with the Miami Heat, the veteran big man Dewayne Dedmon decided to join the Philadelphia 76ers for the remainder of the 2022-2023 NBA season. Dedmon explained his decision to pick the Sixers in free agency, and described what stood out to him.

Sixers Sign Mac McClung, Waive Julian Champagnie

The Sixers made a surprising roster move on Tuesday, as they waived the rookie two-way forward Julian Champagnie to clear space for the former NBA G League Rookie of the Year Mac McClung, who will join the team on a two-way contract.

Matisse Thybulle Off to Great Start Post-Sixers Trade

For the first time in his career, Matisse Thybulle played for a team that wasn’t the 76ers. In his Portland Trail Blazers debut, Thybulle thrived on both ends of the floor. After the matchup, he explained what went into his success after having a shaky season with the Sixers.