Jaylen Brown Advocates For Tacko Fall To Get More Minutes With 76ers: Does The 7’6″ Center Deserve It?
· Yahoo Sports
Following their blowout loss to the Boston Celtics at home, the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back with a 123-112 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night, preventing a potential losing slide. Having improved to 10-3 on the season, Philadelphia remains among the top teams in the league. Still, there was another intriguing sight during Thursday’s game.
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The game against the Toronto Raptors marked the second time Tacko Fall suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers. Although his appearance was brief, lasting less than a minute, seeing the 7’6″ center hit the floor was a truly surreal sight, especially for 76ers superstar Jaylen Brown.
Having spent time together on the Boston Celtics, Tacko Fall and Jaylen Brown share a special relationship. The superstar opened up about this during his postgame media availability, also expressing his hopes of seeing the center earn more playing time. While speaking about the bond, he shared:
“Tacko’s a great human being and humanitarian. He’s all about the community and giving back to where he’s from. So, me and him, we like to spend our time thinking about how we can help different parts of the world. I think that’s where our friendship is based.”
“But it’s good to see him out there. He’s just got to be ready,” Brown continued. “He’s been hurt a little bit, but it would be great. We need some more tall people. It would be great to see Tacko get an opportunity. So he’s just got to stay ready, keep working, and keep building off the injury he had. You never know; he might get in there and make a contribution for us.”
Tacko Fall notably suffered an injury earlier in the offseason, coincidentally right before the Philadelphia 76ers’ training camp period began. Needless to say, this is an unfavorable situation for a player looking to carve out a role for himself in the system.
Despite the physical adversities he’s faced, Tacko Fall seems healthy and ready to contribute to the 76ers’ winning effort. But can he really earn more minutes?
Should Tacko Fall Get More Playing Time?
The circumstances surrounding Tacko Fall and the opportunity in front of him are interesting, to say the least.
After joining the Boston Celtics during the 2019-20 season, Fall remained with the team for two years before eventually joining the Cleveland Cavaliers for his next stint in the 2021-22 season. With Boston, Fall averaged 2.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game. Meanwhile, with the Cavaliers, he posted 1.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game.
After his tenure with the Cavaliers ended, Fall played overseas in China and New Zealand. It is only after his time with the CBA’s Ningbo Rockets last season that the center has returned to the NBA with the aspiration of being more impactful.
While the story is heartwarming, in isolation, one could argue that signing a player like Tacko Fall may have been a poor decision. However, in light of the 76ers’ current situation, this decision seems much wiser.
Philadelphia’s frontcourt rotation was dealt a dramatic blow at the start of the season when both Ariel Hukporti and Adem Bona were sidelined with injury. With two of the team’s three big men unavailable, having Joel Embiid shoulder the burden of being the team’s sole big man isn’t very reassuring.
The eye test clearly shows that Embiid isn’t the player he used to be, or at least, the superstar hasn’t been able to find his legs yet. Still, given the need for size and length to shore up the rotation, there could be merit in giving Tacko Fall more playing time.
Currently, Fall is on a two-way contract, implying that he can be available for a maximum of 50 games this season. While there is no guarantee that he will be a consistent contributor, having him available should provide the 76ers with a backup in these dire circumstances.