Three years ago, the shooting-starved Philadelphia 76ers signed Ersan Ilyasova in late February. He went on to average 10.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 threes in only 24.1 minutes per game, playing a critical bench role for a Sixers team that ripped off a 16-game winning streak heading into the playoffs.

They can only hope Anthony Tolliver gives them a similar lift this year.

The Sixers signed Tolliver to a 10-day contract Saturday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, after missing out on the likes of Gorgui Dieng and Khem Birch in recent days. While they still have the majority of their taxpayer mid-level exception in their back pocket—they could use it to sign Tolliver or someone else to a multiyear deal—it makes sense to test Tolliver's fit before making such a commitment.

After sending Tony Bradley to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline in a package for George Hill, the Sixers needed another big behind Joel Embiid and Dwight Howard. If Tolliver pans out, he figures to take Mike Scott's role as the primary stretch big option off the bench.

Scott is shooting only 35.1 percent overall and 34.0 percent from deep this season, and the Sixers are being outscored by 1.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the court. That's the third-worst mark on the team, ahead of only Howard's minus-5.3 and rookie guard Tyrese Maxey's minus-7.7.

Head coach Doc Rivers will shrink his rotation once the playoffs begin, so Scott wasn't likely to get much run in the postseason either way. But if Embiid or Howard get hurt or fall into foul trouble, the Sixers would be bereft of reliable options at the 5 given Scott's inconsistency.

Tolliver may be better suited to keep them afloat in those situations. He's a career 37.1 percent shooter from deep, and he's buried 39.5 percent of his corner three-point attempts.

Adding another reliable shooter to the rotation could be manna from heaven for the Sixers, who are currently tied for 26th in three-point makes and are 27th in three-point attempts per game. Danny Green and Seth Curry have added some much-needed floor spacing to the starting five, but the Sixers' reserves are shooting only 32.6 percent from deep.

Tolliver could also enable Rivers to get more flexible with his rotation.

The Sixers' starting five is outscoring opponents by 17.1 points per 100 possessions, which is the fourth-best mark leaguewide among groups that have played at least 250 possessions. Rivers has kept Embiid paired with Ben Simmons far more often than former Sixers head coach Brett Brown did, and the results speak for themselves.

But when Simmons plays without Embiid, the wheels often fall off. The Sixers have a net rating of minus-5.2 in those minutes, per PBPStats, in large part because of Simmons' clunky fit alongside Howard.

Embiid and Simmons have learned to work more in concert this year because opponents have to respect the former anywhere on the floor. He's drilling a career-high 38.2 percent of his three-point attempts and is shooting a nuclear 59.3 percent from between 16 feet and the three-point line, which allows the shooting-averse Simmons to operate closer to the basket on offense.

Although Howard has knocked down a career-high four triples this year, he presents much less of an offensive threat outside of the paint. More than 85 percent of his shot attempts are coming within 10 feet of the basket, which cramps the offensive spacing when he's sharing the floor with Simmons.

In the minutes that Simmons and Howard play together, the Sixers are being outscored by 13.4 points per 100 possessions, which ranks in the 4th percentile leaguewide. When those two share the floor with Matisse Thybulle, another offensive non-threat, the Sixers are a minus-11.4.

Tolliver isn't an imposing shot-blocker like Embiid or a dominant rebounder like Howard, but he may be able to help Simmons function better whenever Embiid is off the floor.

Lineups with Simmons at center often haven't had much success—he's far better equipped to defend opposing guards and wings—but Tolliver may be able to slot in as a small-ball 5 to give Simmons another drive-and-kick shooting option. Those lineups would likely struggle defensively, but the Sixers could buy Embiid some rest if they're able to hold serve on offense in his absence.

Rather than continuing to force Simmons-Howard minutes, the Sixers could trot out a balanced second unit of Shake Milton, Hill, Thybulle, Tobias Harris and Howard. They could then pair Simmons and Tolliver whenever Embiid isn't on the floor, ensuring they maintain better floor spacing at all times.

After the trade deadline, team president Daryl Morey spoke about the importance of having schematic flexibility, which Tolliver may help to provide.

"I like having optionality just to give the coaching staff different options, because I think in the playoffs, that can be important," he said. "But again, you can't force it. It's perfectly well and good to say, 'Oh, you should play X way,' but if you can't put the three, four, five good players that can execute that strategy, it's better to play more traditional."

If the Sixers get blown off the floor with Tolliver at the 5, they may find themselves facing the same Simmons-Howard dilemma that they do now. Luckily, they still have 20 more regular-season games to experiment before the playoffs begin.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac.