CAMDEN, N.J. — As the Philadelphia 76ers continue through the preseason in preparation for the 2025-26 season, it appears that Adem Bona has the inside track on the backup center spot behind Joel Embiid. He has been the starter in all three preseason games thus far and coach Nick Nurse continues to give him more responsibility.
Bona plays with a ton of energy–perfect for a reserve–and makes a lot of game-changing plays on the defensive end of the floor. Whether it’s a big rebound or a big block, he seems to make that big play when the Sixers need it the most. He has come a long way from being a second-round pick in the 2024 draft to what he has developed into now.
Kelly Oubre Jr., a respected veteran on this team, has been impressed with the young big man out of UCLA, but he pointed out one issue: the fouls.
“His energy level is very high, always, obviously, more experience helps,” said Oubre of Bona. “Just being in the actions and being on the battlefield allows you to help improve yourself. I think him having last year to get thrown into that fire really helped him for this year and his development. So I’m super proud of him over what he did throughout the summer. He’s definitely been working. He’s definitely a freak athlete. I’ll continue to just tell him to catch the ball, because once you do good things happen, and stop fouling so, but other than that, man, I’m super proud of him, and I love playing with him.”
The fouls. That has been something that has hindered Bona a bit. He had four fouls in the preseason opener in Abu Dhabi, then two in the second game, and then picked up two in the first two minutes on Oct. 10 against the Orlando Magic. It’s something both Tyrese Maxey and Andre Drummond addressed after the Friday exhibition contest. As the Sixers move forward, Bona has to be better in that respect.
Luckily for him, he is on a veteran-laden team and has teammates willing to step up and help him with any messages or advice.
“As a young guy, I had to go learn everything the hard way,” Oubre added. “So, I’m able to tell him through experience, and a lot of times, you just want to do every single thing on the court, right? Which means block shots, steal the ball, just hit the home run defensive play, and a lot of times that happens, and ends with a foul. So yeah, just slow down, let it come to you, and just be solid. That’s something I’m still working on as well, but we can learn together.”
Bona and the Sixers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday for their preseason finale.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers veteran has a message for Adem Bona over fouling problems
