Can Adem Bona make the most of increased opportunity with the Sixers?

Adem Bona’s possible outlook for the 2026-27 season has changed before we’ve even reached the start of the regular season. Just days after the Sixers held their media day and hype for the new year really started to ramp up, one of their few centers, Ariel Hukporti, was ruled out for the season with an Achilles tear.

Yet again, the Sixers find themselves with shallow depth at center. What’s new?

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There isn’t an easy way to replace Hukporti, as our Bryan Toporek has already explained. The Sixers already didn’t have much in the way of traditional center size or skillset off the bench behind Joel Embiid, and now that’s even more apparent. Getting experimental and downsizing more often is one option to help. There’s clearly merit to using someone like Dominick Barlow (if healthy) in spells at the 5, to give the team a boost of athleticism and defensive switchability. Jabari Walker is another smaller option, who’s off to a strong start in preseason play so far. LeBron James could find himself spending a little time at center. Even Dean Wade could be an option right now, Nick Nurse has said.

But apart from how the Sixers can experiment and potentially bring in someone using their open two-way spot, one player that you have to immediately look to is the other big man who, at least in theory, could tick several of the boxes you need from a typical backup center: Adem Bona.

Lately, Bona has been getting over an injury himself. He suffered a foot sprain last month while playing for Türkiye in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. As Bona said himself at media day, recovery and treatment has been going very well. He’s got back to some work on the court. The Sixers set themselves a timeline to get Bona back in action by two weeks into training camp, and that’s still what they’re on track for.

Bona clearly has his strengths, and has looked like a legit NBA backup in his finest games. He has a great motor, stellar speed and agility at 6-foot-10, the lateral quickness to switch onto smaller players, solid offensive rebounding, explosive play finishing and dunking at times, and clear shot-blocking talent. His 1.2 blocks in…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/adem-bona-most-increased-opportunity-125753373.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-14 12:57:00

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