By Kevin McCormick, Sports Talk Philly Staff Writer/Editor 
With Joel Embiid missing time due to injury the Sixers have been presented an interesting opportunity, Brett Brown can try some new and interesting lineups. So far we have not seen anything crazy other than Ben Simmons playing backup center against the Celtics, but should he try more?
One interesting thing Brown should consider is going deeper down the bench with more minutes available. A player in particular, would be a guy like Jonah Bolden. We have seen almost nothing of Bolden this season, and that should change.
In his time with the Blue Coats this season, Bolden is currently averaging 11.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, and is shooting 36.2% from three. He has sat at the end of the bench all season and there is an argument that the team could use his skill-set right now.
Mike Scott has been one of the streakiest players on the team this season. He is averaging just six points on the year, and in January he is only shooting 28% from deep. Scott’s role off the bench is to be able to come in and be a big that can knock down shots from three, but when he is not hitting them he is almost hurting more than he is helping.
This begs the question, should the Sixers consider giving Bolden some of Scott’s time in the rotation? They have almost identical play-styles, so the Sixers would not be losing much in giving Bolden some time to see what he could do with some consistent minutes.
Giving Bolden some time could be more positive than negative. Mike Scott taking a couple of days off could help him refresh and come back to come out of his cold spell. Not to mention with Embiid out this team has been playing at a faster pace, so going with the younger and fresher Bolden might be a better fit with how the team is playing right now.
Another possible outcome of this is creating value. As we know the NBA trade season is upon us. With that being said, the Sixers are in the market for upgrading their bench to be deeper for the playoffs.
Sadly the Sixers do not have a first-round pick to deal, so they will be moving players. Giving Bolden some time on the court could allow other teams a chance to see what he can do on an NBA court, and possibly increase his trade value. Not to mention getting Mike Scott off the court during his cold spell will help keep his value around where it should be.
Bolden is young, and still has a few years left on his contract. Seeing what he can do on an NBA court could help entice a team like the Sacramento Kings who are young and play fast. Bolden could potentially become a piece in a package to acquire Bogdan Bogdanovic, who the Sixers have inquired about.
All in all, I think that Brett should seriously consider playing Jonah. There is honestly no risk in playing him, as he can’t be much worse than how Mike Scott has been shooting the ball as of late. Not to mention, potentially upping his trade value could be huge as the Sixers look to start making moves.
