The 76ers have converted center Tacko Fall's Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal. Shams Charania of ESPN reported the move on Twitter, per Hoops Rumors, and the team has put out a press release formally announcing it. Fall, who is 7'6", fills the last open two-way spot.
Liberty Ballers noted that this completes the set. Fall joins Caleb Love and Rayan Rupert in the three two-way slots. ESPN and Liberty Ballers both link the move to frontcourt injuries. Liberty Ballers names Ariel Hukporti, who tore his Achilles early in the preseason. The feed summary cuts off there, so we don't know what else that report says about the injury, and none of the outlets gives a timeline for Hukporti. Hukporti played 54 games last season with five starts, averaging 9.2 minutes.
Hoops Rumors says Fall made 37 regular-season NBA appearances. Our archive matches that: 7 games for Boston in 2020, 19 in 2021 and 11 for Cleveland in 2022. His last season on file is 2022, when he totaled 12 points and 23 rebounds in those 11 games. He shot 21 of 29 in 2021, and he has blocked 30 shots across the three seasons on file. He has no games in our archive since 2022.
The need shows up in the team's results. The 76ers are 1-3, fourth in the Atlantic, and have lost three straight. Friday's 125-120 overtime loss to Boston turned on the glass. The Celtics won the rebounding battle 63-46 and had 18 offensive rebounds to Philadelphia's 5. Philadelphia scored 52 points in the paint and shot 7 of 38 from three. That game followed a 144-106 loss at Boston on Oct. 10 and a 114-108 loss at Brooklyn on Oct. 8.
The backcourt two-way players had a quiet night in Friday's box score. Love went 0 for 5 in seven minutes, and Rupert played 19 minutes with no points, four rebounds and two blocks. Love averaged 20.7 minutes in 49 games last season.
None of the reporting says how Fall will be used or when he could first play. Philadelphia's next chance to show how it handles the frontcourt comes Tuesday, Oct. 20, at New York.
Tue, Oct 20, 7:00 PM ET
Discussion