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Cooney: Beyond Embiid and Simmons, Sixers have other issues to address

COMMONLY CALLED the midpoint of the season, this year's All-Star break actually comes with only 26 games remaining on the 76ers' schedule. At 21-35, the team has already surpassed the win total predicted by some before the season, and hasn't fallen far below expectations of a possible playoff spot in the East.

COMMONLY CALLED the midpoint of the season, this year's All-Star break actually comes with only 26 games remaining on the 76ers' schedule. At 21-35, the team has already surpassed the win total predicted by some before the season, and hasn't fallen far below expectations of a possible playoff spot in the East.

But as coach Brett Brown put it after the team's loss Wednesday in Boston, this has been a "complex" season. Starting next Friday, the final 31.7 percent of the schedule will play out over eight weeks until the season ends April 12. While the saga of whether/how much Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons play, other story lines must be addressed as the team heads into another offseason of hope and draft picks.

Let's put the Embiid-Simmons situation on the back burner for now and look at other areas that warrant attention.

It all starts with president Bryan Colangelo and how he will handle the situations laid before him. First and foremost is what he will do with the plethora of centers still on his roster. The Jahlil Okafor trade situation, while he sat two games as the team explored possible trading partners, is awkward. Luckily for the organization, Okafor has handled the situation like a pro, well beyond his two years of NBA experience. Still, the issue needs to be addressed.

While many say Okafor needs to go ASAP, I still wonder what the hurry is. The market obviously is not meeting Colangelo's expectations now, so what is the harm in waiting until the draft to figure this all out? By then, you will have a better idea whether Nerlens Noel is a good fit as Embiid's backup and worth paying good money to. Or, does the president think both Okafor and Noel are expendable and Richaun Holmes could handle the backup center duty?

The other possible signing Colangelo will face during the offseason concerns power forward Ersan Ilyasova. After being acquired early in the season from the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has shown that his ability to stretch the floor, pass the ball and get to loose balls was best suited to keep him on the floor with Embiid. Now, there is a very favorable dilemma at this position.

Earlier in the season, Ilyasova and Dario Saric sharing the position was the easiest part of Brown's job: Start Ilyasova, come in with Saric and basically share the minutes and not miss a beat. Lately, however, Saric's play has given him the edge over Ilyasova, as his overall game has grown leaps and bounds as the season has progressed. Perhaps sliding him into the starting role next season and letting Ilyasova walk becomes the obvious answer. Or maybe having both share the position is the way to go.

The biggest need is still sprinkling the roster with shooters. If Simmons, who isn't a shooting threat right now, is going to be dominating the ball, it's imperative to have shooters who can open the floor for him and Embiid. Jerryd Bayless may be the model of the type of point guard the team will need with Simmons - someone who can guard the other team's point, hit open shots and knows how to play the game offensively without dominating the ball. Perhaps you get an upgrade there in the draft, or maybe Bayless and T.J. McConnell are able to hold down that position moving forward. With his defensive deficiencies and a contract that is up after this season, Sergio Rodriguez could see his run here end in April.

Pace, defense and three-point shooting will be the three biggest subjects of these final 26 games. Who does it best, who fits where and retaining the fun - and, of late, winning - attitude will be what's scrutinized from here on out.

This Process is not done yet; many more pieces are needed. The hope for the organization is that some are filled easily and that those that aren't become obvious during this final run of games.

cooneyb@phillynews.com

@BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog