Sixers guards discuss playing with Andre Drummond, Adem Bona at center

CAMDEN, N.J. -- All season long, the Philadelphia 76ers have had to juggle who plays at center with Joel Embiid in and out of the lineup. The big fella was limited to 38 games due to, first, recovering from his offseason knee surgery, second, a right oblique strain, and third, an emergency appendectomy that ended his regular season.

Therefore, coach Nick Nurse has had to juggle between 14-year veteran Andre Drummond and second-year big man Adem Bona at the center spot. Depending on the matchups, Nurse will turn to Drummond if Philadelphia needs size and help on the glass. If it's a quicker, smaller team, then he'll turn to Bona.

Either way, the Sixers are going to play their way regardless of whether Drummond or Bona starts. It's all about just making sure they're all on the same page.

"We’ve been working all year," Tyrese Maxey said. "I’ve been playing with them, basically, all year. So, we kind of know how they score the ball, how they’re gonna screen, how they’re gonna play defensively. That’s the biggest thing, man. We’ve been prepared. Now, it’s just time to go out there and put the product out there."

Even for rookie VJ Edgecombe, whoever is out there doesn't matter to him. He just wants to be able to win basketball games. The presence of either big man doesn't do anything for Philadelphia.

"Nah," Edgecombe said. "I’ll be honest. We know what they do. I think it’s pretty easy for us to switch in between those two because, like I said, I mean, obviously, Drum is gonna shoot the ball. Bona won’t shoot the ball. So, that’s the big difference, but overall, both of their presence is felt when they’re on the court. Like I said, for us, it don’t change.

Whether the Sixers turn to Drummond or Bona against the Orlando Magic in the play-in game on Wednesday, they will look to give them a lift. One has to give them both credit as they have both been professionals in this setting. It has been tough for them at times as the minutes have been up and down and inconsistent, but they deserve credit for being able to be there for this team when they need them.

"Obviously, they’ve been professional about it," Edgecombe added. "They haven’t been complaining about inconsistency in minutes or anything like that. They’ve been really professional and they haven’t changed. They have the same mindset every day. Same attitude every day and that’s to get better and to win."

The Sixers and the Magic will battle at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday night.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers guards discuss playing with Andre Drummond, Adem Bona at center