The Philadelphia 76ers were definitely expecting a lot of great things from Adem Bona coming into the 2025-26 season. Unfortunately, they have not really gotten much from him so far in this campaign as the sophomore big man remains far from a favored option for the role he was otherwise expected to bag quite easily.
Instead, Bona has seen his minutes stagnate. Last season, he averaged 15.6 minutes per outing. This time, he is norming 16 minutes a night, which is virtually the same amount which he got during the previous campaign where he benefited from the team missing a bunch of players, especially the core guys.
For now, suffice to sya that Bona has not been as featured on the team as much as people hoped he would be. While that is far from being the most disappointing thing out there, the sophomore big man admittedly still has a long ways before he can get more court time given his pronounced shortcomings.
Adem Bona has to do a lot more to get ample court time with the 76ers
Bona’s track to get more minutes is not going to get easier. Andre Drummond, whom people were quick to dismiss last season, has been one of the feel-good stories for the team with his resurgence in Year 14. People believed that Bona was due to usurp the veteran in the rotation, which Nick Nurse actually tried early on before quickly going back to the former All-Star.
There is also Dominick Barlow to factor in. The two-way big man has been especially impressive, and it is safe to say that he will most likely be a more prominent part of the team than Bona moving forward given his rare mix of mobility and all-around play despite being a non-shooting big for the most part.
For Bona to get a promotion in the rotation, he will have to clean up his game. His finishing around the rim has gotten a tad worse, and he still has the tendency to foul so much. Just off the eye test, one would probably be confident in saying that he fouls the most on the team, and a lot of those are ticky-tacky fouls he can easily avoid. His court awareness also has to get much better.
Hopefully, Adem Bona can accelerate the maturation of his game. The 76ers still need someone like him on the roster, and his presence will become even more important as both Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond age.