Ranking Joel Embiid’s backups up to 2022

It’s the lull of the offseason and it seems like an appropriate time to look back at the long list of backup centers that the Philadelphia 76ers have had during Joel Embiid‘s tenure. That means these players played when Embiid did and not during the two-year span he missed at the beginning of his career due to injury.

Ranking Embiid’s backups on the Philadelphia 76ers.

The reason to look back is at this point Embiid’s entering his seventh year playing and there are legit arguments about who is the best center who has played with the two-time MVP runner-up. With that in mind, players are only on this list if they actually played a game in a Sixers uniform.

It should be noted players like Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Georges Niang will be left off the list as it was a regular position and done as an experiment or in an emergency. With that being written, let’s begin.

22. Vincent Poirier

Just like his time in the NBA, Vincent Poirier’s time on the Sixers was brief. He only played ten games and played rather poorly. The 7-footer didn’t have a go-to skill and after he was traded to the New York Knicks and waived, Poirier hasn’t played a single NBA minute.

21. Justin Patton

Justin Patton was the other player acquired by the 76ers in the Jimmy Butler trade. He spent most of his season with Philly injured and in the three games he did play in, he struggled to make an impact. He last played in the 2020-21 season for the Houston Rockets.