Jonah Bolden’s development has given cause for optimism, but the Philadelphia 76ers‘ bench has held the team back from reaching its full potential this season. The Sixers relied on Amir Johnson and Mike Muscala to back up Joel Embiid for the beginning of the season, but Bolden’s rise has forced Johnson out of the rotation and GM Elton Brand traded Muscala to the Los Angeles Lakers at the deadline. The Sixers acquired a handful of power forwards before the deadline, so Bolden has to wait until next season to have another extended run in the rotation.
Boban Marjanovic will fill in as the Sixers’ primary backup center, and with other new faces like Tobias Harris, Mike Scott, and James Ennis all able to play power forward, the Australian has not seen any action in the two games since the trade deadline.