The Philadelphia 76ers hold the No. 22 overall pick — acquired from Houston — and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley projects them to address their most persistent organizational vulnerability by selecting Houston forward Chris Cenac Jr., a 6-foot-11 hybrid center whose athletic profile and emerging stretch-shooting suggest a long-term Joel Embiid backup capable of logging genuine playoff minutes.

The Embiid situation has defined Philadelphia’s franchise management for six years. He was swept by the Knicks in the second round after a comeback win over Boston, then the front office fired general manager Daryl Morey. The rebuilt front office under Bob Myers will face the same unavoidable arithmetic: Embiid simply cannot be trusted to stay healthy enough to anchor a playoff rotation alone. Philadelphia needs a backup center who is good enough to keep the team functional when Embiid sits — and young enough to factor into the next era if Embiid’s injury pattern continues.

Cenac checks both boxes on paper. He is a natural athlete who moves like a wing, has length to alter shots around the basket, and showed emerging three-point accuracy that would allow him to play on the floor alongside Embiid in two-big lineups. The concern is that he struggled to score efficiently at Houston, had persistent foul trouble, and appeared overeager to operate as a perimeter player when his body type screams paint-based bruiser. He arrived in college with lottery expectations and didn’t quite deliver — but his tools are real enough that Buckley argues the basic blueprint of a rim-running, stretch-shooting hybrid still exists.

The direct opportunity cost at No. 22 is Atlanta’s pick at No. 23: Luigi Suigo, the 7-foot-3 Mega center whose size alone makes him one of the most intriguing big men in the draft. Suigo’s nearly identical measurements to Aday Mara — 7-foot-3 with a 9-foot-6 standing reach — and his passing feel and perimeter shooting make him a compelling center-of-the-future option. Philadelphia’s choice of Cenac over Suigo is a bet on a bigger short-term fit over a higher-ceiling international prospect. Cenac can contribute around Embiid sooner; Suigo likely needs more developmental runway.

CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein and Gary Parrish project Koa Peat to Philadelphia at No. 22, opting for the Arizona power forward’s powerful inside play over Cenac’s more center-specific profile. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor projects Luigi Suigo to the Sixers, making a direct case for the Italian center prospect as the ideal Embiid complement based on his passing feel and perimeter range. Tankathon projects Morez Johnson Jr. there, reflecting the view that Philadelphia’s most urgent need is defensive versatility rather than center depth.

If Cenac can solve his efficiency and foul-trouble problems in the NBA — tasks that Miami’s and San Antonio’s development programs have solved for comparable prospects in recent years — he could become the physical change-of-pace center Philadelphia has been chasing since trading away Bol Bol in 2023. A rim-running, shot-altering backup who can also space the floor gives Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe an entirely different screen-and-roll partner to attack with.

What Other Outlets Are Projecting

Outlet	Projected Player
Bleacher Report	Chris Cenac Jr., PF/C, Houston
CBS Sports	Koa Peat, PF, Arizona (Finkelstein, Parrish)
Tankathon	Morez Johnson Jr., PF, Michigan
Yahoo Sports	Luigi Suigo, C, Mega

Cenac at No. 22 is the right pick for Philadelphia because the Sixers’ championship window depends entirely on Embiid’s health, and the only way to insulate that window from his inevitable absences is to have a legitimate center behind him rather than a collection of undersized forwards asked to cover for a former MVP. Cenac’s age (19), his physical tools, and his stretch-shooting potential give him the highest ceiling of any center available at this price point. If he figures out the grunt work and the foul trouble, Philadelphia will have found the most important piece in their roster puzzle at the most affordable contract price possible.