NBA Rumors: Horford Future Bleaker, Veteran To Come Off The Bench

The Philadelphia 76ers need to make adjustments and it appears there will be one major tweak once (and if) the NBA season returns to action. Despite getting a four-year $109 million deal, Al Horford has failed to live up to expectations. Rumors are spreading that he could be traded soon. But until that happens, head coach, Brett Brown needs to find a way to use the 33-year-old veteran and turn things around for the Sixers.

As mentioned in a previous post, there is no question that the Al Horford experiment has failed up to this point. Brown needs to find a way to make the 6-foot-9 big man fit and play well alongside young stars such as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Both players are nursing injuries and the best time for Horford to prove his worth was to step up his game. However, the COVID-19 pandemic lull may have bought all injured players time to recuperate from their injury. Horford's chance may no longer be on the table, meaning Philly needs to find another way.

According to a report from The Athletic, the Sixers are allegedly planning to relegate Horford to the bench. Shake Milton will be elevated to the starting lineup, hinting that the Sixers plan to go small for the remainder of the season.

Looking at the standings, the Sixers are at the sixth spot in the NBA Eastern Conference standings with a 39-26 win-loss record. They are tied with the Indiana Pacers who are in fifth place with a similar win-loss card. From the looks of it, these are two teams that will face each other in the playoffs, unless one of them makes a big winning run or experiences a losing skid.

Going small-ball is a gamble for Philly but something that Brown could experiment on. A flaw in the Sixers game is their lack of offensive options, particularly in the area of shooting. If the plan holds, Brown may be experimenting at a run-and-gun brand of basketball. It may not be a permanent move, meaning Horford could still be a starter again somewhere in the future.

For now, Philadelphia needs to find ways to maximize its investment in the five-time NBA All-Star However, things may be different by the 2020-21 NBA campaign. That includes the fate of Horford who could be offered to other teams if he continues to fall short of expectations.