No matter what the Philadelphia 76ers do this offseason, their fate next season and in the following campaigns will be largely dictated by what transpires with their best player. After all, the front office, for better or for worse, is still operating under the theory of Joel Embiid still being able to reprise his MVP-caliber play despite everything he has gone through.
Still, at this juncture, it would not only be prudent, but also responsible, to assume that Embiid is most likely never going to be 100 percent again, at least until next year. His recovery path has remained murky, and the front office needs to bolster the team’s depth at center anyway.
This season, Philly has juggled between Andre Drummond, Adem Bona, and Guerschon Yabusele to man the center position in Embiid’s stead, the most latter of which doing so while being a routinely undersized option. With Yabusele entering free agency and Drummond not really expected to be in the team’s plans after a down year, the 76ers have to reinforce the position anew.
The 76ers already have Adem Bona to soften the blow of Joel Embiid’s injury uncertainty
Fortunately for the 76ers, though, one of their in-house solutions already stands as a viable one. Adem Bona, the team’s 41st overall pick just last year, was thoroughly impressive during the latter stretch of the season when he was given the liberty to showcase his game in a more ample serving of court time.
Bona finished his rookie campaign averaging 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds on a mammoth 70.3 percent shooting from the field. But during the final 11 games of the season where he was made into a makeshift starter, he registered nightly averages of 13.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks while converting on 72.7 percent of his field goal attempts.
The incoming sophomore may be a tad undersized for his position, but he makes up for such minimal disadvantage with his sheer athleticism. He is the only player on the roster to give the 76ers some vertical spacing thanks to his bounce, and that is an added dimension the coaching staff should maximize next season.
Of course, Bona’s emergence should not preclude the 76ers from seeking further ugrades at the position. That is a non-negotiable at this point. Still, Bona should already be entrenched as the team’s foremost option to absorb the available minutes when Embiid is not available, not only to keep the team afloat, but also to prepare for life without the 2023 MVP.