It appears that the injury bug has already affected the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the start of training camp. As officially announced by the team, Adem Bona has reportedly suffered a left foot sprain. However, it seems like the team might catch a lucky break on this one, as the timeline for his return to play is expected to be just two weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated before camp opens.
As can be gleaned from this estimated timeline, Bona's injury, which he incurred during the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers while playing for the Turkish National Team, is a pretty minor one. If all goes well, he should be able to be participate in training camp and in the preseason, where he will be engaged in a tight-knit battle for a consistent spot in the rotation in the upcoming campaign.
Adem Bona injury timeline gives 76ers a major sigh of relief
With their title bid on the verge of starting, the 76ers cannot afford injuries this early in their campaign. That is even more so the case given the squad's need to hold a stern audition for their backup center position, a race that Bona is a part of.
As currently constructed, Philly has two players who will be jockeying for minutes to spell Joel Embiid off the bench. In addition to Bona, the likes of the newcomer Ariel Hukporti will also duke it out before the regular season begins, which will give Nick Nurse and his staff a difficult but critical decision to make.
Of those four, Bona might just be the frontrunner at this juncture. After all, he was the primary backup to the superstar for most of last season before Andre Drummond's experience in the postseason prevailed. But now that his veteran counterpart is no longer with the team, Bona has a free path to reclaiming that post.
Of course, Barlow, Walker, and Hukporti will not just be waiting for the lowest-hanging fruit to drop. All of those big men have their own quirks, which also make them quite intriguing as Embiid's main reliever. As such, it is essential for Bona to first be available before mounting his real audition piece.
Fortunately, Bona should not be out of commission for long. The 76ers need him to showcase what he can do as he enters his third year in the league, and training camp is exactly the platform he needs to display his growth.
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