What Does Future Hold for Adem Bona After Strong Close to Rookie Season?

Adem Bona’s path to receiving consistent minutes in his rookie NBA season was a long and winding one. He was selected with the 41st pick in the 2024 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. With Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond slotting in ahead of Bona on the depth chart, there was no clear path for the rookie to get a consistent spot in the rotation. However, injuries to both Embiid and Drummond gave Bona a chance to showcase his talents during his rookie season.

Over the final several weeks of the season, Bona flashed his potential to be an athletic, defensive-minded big man. He was one of the only positives from what was otherwise one brutal Sixers loss after another. His athleticism and ability to impact the game defensively, both of which shined during his two years at UCLA, carried over against NBA competition. Over his final 15 games of the season, Bona averaged 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per contest. The 22-year old was making explosive plays on a nightly basis.

Adem Bona with the REJECTION ‼️ pic.twitter.com/9kf079BNgI

— NBA (@NBA) April 9, 2025

Despite standing at just 6-foot-10, Bona possesses a 7-foot-3 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. His athletic traits give him all the necessary tools to be a formidable defender around the rim. He was a strong shot blocker in college, finishing inside the top-five in blocks amongst Pac-12 players in each of his two collegiate seasons at UCLA. His ability to defend at the rim immediately carried over to the NBA level. Since March 9, Bona’s 2.5 blocks per game led the entire league, an impressive feat for a rookie second-round pick.

Bona is developing a reputation for his defense and high motor, and it is easy to see why. He has a knack for always being around the ball, whether defensively or on the glass. The Nigerian native picked up 3.2 offensive rebounds per game over his final 15 contests of the season.

In addition to his impact defensively, Bona quietly started showing signs of growth on the offensive end of the floor. His effort on the offensive glass often led to second-chance points for either himself or his teammates. However, he also found ways to use his athleticism to get open looks around the rim. The Sixers typically run a lot of dribble hand-offs to get their guards open space on the perimeter. Opposing defenses will often not pay any attention to the big man performing the hand-off. Bona started finding success late in the season leveraging the defensive attention paid to the Sixers’ guards. He would fake the hand-off and then explode to the basket for an easy shot at the rim.

DUNKIN’! pic.twitter.com/dDlA1G2wfX

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) March 15, 2025

Bona found multiple ways, particularly fake dribble hand-offs and pick-and-rolls, to make an impact offensively. His best game of the season came on April 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks. Bona, playing against the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, scored 28 points on 13-of-15 shooting. His performance against Milwaukee showcased he has the ability to be more than just a pure shot blocker.

Bona began to put everything together offensively in the final few weeks of the season. He ended his rookie year scoring 15-plus points in five of six games while shooting an efficient 73.7% from the field. Bona started to develop confidence offensively as he began playing consistent minutes over the final several weeks of the season.

“I would say the number one thing is that my confidence has been up a bit,” Bona told reporters, via Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire, late in the season. “I would say the trust from my teammates and the coaching staff also helps contribute to my offensive game. Passing. Like the pick-and-roll with Jared Butler. The dump-off to Lonnie [Walker IV]. The fake hand-off. Those are some things I’ve been working on with the coaching staff. It’s just time and confidence and trust that helps contribute to all that.”

Bona’s increased confidence was a sticking point repeatedly mentioned as the season came to a close. Being able to take advantage of the opportunity given to him over the final month of the season should give Bona a lot of confidence to build off of moving forward. Drummond, who served as a mentor for Bona throughout his rookie season, spoke glowingly about Bona’s increased confidence and strong work ethic.

“His confidence is where he’s grown the most,” Drummond said of Bona. “He’s like a sponge. Anything that the coaches tell him, or I tell him, or any of the other vets tell him, he soaks it in, and he tries to apply it to the game. Whether we’re practicing or the game, he does a very good job of applying it, and with that tool, I think he’s going to be very successful in this league. His motor is higher than anybody I’ve seen in my time, and his want to be good is really going to take him far.”

Bona’s strong close to his rookie season sets him up well for a consistent rotation spot next season. Considering the questions about Embiid’s ability to stay healthy, Bona could be in line for a significant role. In the event Embiid is available, Bona will be battling Drummond for backup center minutes. Drummond has a $5.0 million player option for next season, and he made it clear he plans on returning to Philadelphia. Bona, considering his production as a rookie, should head into next season with a significant edge over the veteran Drummond in the rotation.