During his rookie year in the NBA, Adem Bona showed a sensational ability to defend the rim and emphatically swat away his opponents' shots; however, this enthusiasm came with a serious fouling problem -- something that has reared its ugly head five minutes into Philadelphia's second Abu Dhabi matchup against the New York Knicks.
Bona has been handed the starting center role ahead of teammate Andre Drummond in both of the Philadelphia 76ers' preseason games so far, but even though he has shown glimpses of his impressive defensive prowess, his inability to avoid fouling his opponents has limited his minutes.
Bona's fouling provides Nick Nurse with a selection headache
With the franchise star, Joel Embiid, still without a return date after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason, head coach Nick Nurse must find a suitable replacement for the 76ers' season opener against the Boston Celtics on October 22.
If preseason is anything to go by, Nurse may have a tougher job on his hands than he first thought. Bona proved to be a versatile option off the bench for Turkey during this summer's EuroBasket tournament. Yet, this international experience has not provided the 22-year-old with any extra level of composure on the defensive end of the floor.
After around five minutes of play against the Knicks, Bona attempted to set a screen for VJ Edgecombe before being called for an offensive foul due to his feet not being set -- the mirror image of a foul that was called on the center during the first matchup.
Only seconds later, the sophomore chased down Jalen Brunson to prevent a simple layup and was baited into an obvious foul to send New York's superstar to the line to shoot free throws. This was Bona's final action of the first quarter and may have hindered his chances of cementing his place as Embiid's replacement.
It is still very early in the Philadelphia 76ers' preseason campaign; nevertheless, Adem Bona must swiftly find a solution to a fouling problem that continues to plague a rim-protector who has immense defensive potential.