Brett Brown still believes in Horford-Embiid pairing

Brett Brown is not ready to cut his losses on his desired frontcourt pairing.

The Philadelphia 76ers coach told reporters on Tuesday that he wants to invest more time in the Al Horford-Joel Embiid duo while Ben Simmons is out, per Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times. Brown added that he will then reassess the situation when Simmons returns.

Embiid is nearing a return to the lineup from a shoulder injury that has kept him out for the last several games. Meanwhile, Simmons is dealing with nerve impingement in his back and appears to be out indefinitely.

That said, the tandem of Horford, who is best as a stretch 5, and Embiid, a true 5 who shoots some threes but mostly inefficiently, has not worked all season. The former has even complained about his role in the offense just months after signing a robust four-year, $109 million contract with Philly.

While the pairing becomes slightly more tenable from a spacing standpoint with Simmons out, Brown may have to get real at some point before the playoffs and realize that he is dealing with a sunk cost here.