76ers’ Mike Scott, Kyle O’Quinn Fantasy Outlook After Joel Embiid Hand Injury

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

A torn ligament in Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid's left hand will keep him out of the lineup for an undetermined period of time.  

Per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic, the two-time All-Star is currently “evaluating his treatment options.”

The 76ers will have to forge on without their franchise center for the time being, and two players stand out above the rest to fill his minutes: Kyle O'Quinn and Mike Scott.

O'Quinn is the more intriguing option of the two and deserves a deeper dive. He got the start the last time the 76ers played without Embiid in a 115-97 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 31. The former Norfolk State star had four points on 2-of-5 shooting, but he also chipped in with 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in his 26 minutes.

O'Quinn's fantasy value comes from his ability to contribute in a variety of ways. Of note, the big man has averaged 4.5 assists in the four contests during which he's played 15 or more minutes. 

Per RotoGrinders' CourtIQ tool, O'Quinn averages 1.14 DraftKings fantasy points per minute when Embiid is not on the floor.

There are a few knocks against his fantasy value sans Embiid.

First, the big man isn't going to soak up much usage even when afforded more court time. Most of the shots will still go to Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and Al Horford when they are on the floor. The CourtIQ tool lists O'Quinn's usage at a below-average 16 percent without Embiid.

Second, it's hard to fathom O'Quinn playing much more than half a game at best. He's only averaged 10.3 minutes per game this season and has played more than 18 on just two occasions. He hasn't played more than 27 in any game this year.

And third, he has some competition in the form of Norvel Pelle, per head coach Brett Brown (h/t Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated).

Ben Detrick, who has contributed to the New York Times and The Ringer, among other outlets, also posted this alarming stat with O'Quinn and point guard Ben Simmons on the floor:

Ben Detrick @bdetrick

if embiid is going to miss substantial time, philly needs to acquire a stretch 5. kyle o'quinn is a large bearded human, but lineups with him simmons have been outscored by roughly 20 pts per 100 possessions https://t.co/l3lCSBD12H

O'Quinn also isn't guaranteed a start when Embiid sits. Head coach Brett Brown has other options, including starting Furkan Korkmaz at shooting guard and bumping Tobias Harris to power forward.

He can also go with Mike Scott, which was the case in a 141-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 7. Scott was nearly automatic that night, scoring 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting in just 24 minutes.

The 31-year-old dominated the Cavs, but he's largely been quiet for much of the season, shooting just 41.6 percent from the field. He's posted 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per night.

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Scott is not as productive as O'Quinn on a per-minute basis. RotoGrinders' CourtIQ tool has him getting 0.72 DraftKings points per minute without Embiid on the court.

On the plus side, Brown hasn't been shy about giving Scott minutes, as the forward has played 20 or more on 15 occasions this season. He's a regular member of the rotation (unlike O'Quinn), and playing time shouldn't be a problem.

Scott can also provide some help on the boards as he's grabbed four or more in seven of the 10 games in which he's played at least 21 minutes.

But he doesn't offer much in the steal and block categories, and the same goes for assists.

Overall, O'Quinn is the better fantasy option, and if he starts to see around 25 minutes of playing time, then he could rack up fantasy points quite quickly.

Scott is a possible season-long and daily option provided he gets starts, but his per-minute production makes O'Quinn the top choice here.

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