The Philadelphia 76ers are headed into the 2022 Playoffs with an air of ‘all-or-nothing’ around their franchise. They pushed their chips in the middle of the table when they traded for James Harden to complete the guard-center combo with Joel Embiid.
To get Harden, the 76ers had to give up a lot of their team depth, including Andre Drummond, who was their backup center behind Embiid. The 76ers replaced him by signing DeAndre Jordan, who had lost his place in a shambolic Los Angeles Lakers squad.
The decision by the 76ers to get Jordan after his last few seasons was a little confusing, but there was renewed hope that a different role may be what he needs. Turns out, it wasn’t, as Jordan is further building up his reputation as a center that cannot defend the rim anymore, as the Sixers Wire at USA Today pointed out.
Teams are shooting 73.6% at the rim when DeAndre Jordan is on the floor for the Sixers.
Ultimately, he is what he is at this point in his career. It’s up to the powers that be to play him or not.
Column via @SixersWire/@USATODAY:https://t.co/R1uM9bdXIV
— Austin Krell (@NBAKrell) March 28, 2022
The 76ers do not look as good as they hoped in the 7 weeks that have passed since they traded for Harden. While Embiid and Harden are performing well, there are serious questions about the defensive capabilities of the roster around them. Tyrese Maxey has emerged as a reliable third scorer, even ahead of the inconsistent Tobias Harris.
The 76ers will expect to tweak their roster in the off-season and add more defensive versatility on this roster. However, they will have to take players like Jordan into the playoffs and possibly face the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo in situations where Jordan may be the only rim protector on the floor if Embiid is on the bench.
Jordan was a dunking sensation a decade ago, but age has worn a lot of his athleticism off. While he can still get up for the occasional dunk, expecting him to be a vertical defensive threat at this point in his career is something he can’t live up to.
