The Sixers ROBBED the NBA…

The Sixers ROBBED the NBA…

the Philadelphia 76ers hit an absolute slam dunk in this year’s NBA draft adding a player that should have been more on the radar for a lot of teams out there and I’m not just talking about Jared McCain who there’s been plenty of conversation about and I’ve been really impressed by through his first two games of summer league but the guy that I mean to bring up is second round pick 41st overall selection ADM Bona now this is a guy who played two seasons at UCLA is this true backup center type model that the Sixers are always looking to improve and he has really opened some eyes through the the opening two games of Summer League now there is still plenty more action to break down on court product to get a feel of what this guy can bring but through two games there’s a couple things that stand out dramatically number one the motor that he plays with and number two the shop blocking ability that he’s going to possess from day one we’re talking about in game two of the summerling him sending back five block shots that just does not happen from anybody and this is who he is expected to be now this is a guy that the Sixers have been excited about and I want to start by breaking down the opening press release when the Sixers officially drafted Bona once again with that 41st overall pick and it writes that quote Adam is a high motor player with proven abilities as both a rim protector and switchable Defender Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Mor said quote he possesses an impressive blend of size athleticism and defensive toughness and we’re excited to add him to our team as a sophomore this past season at UCLA Bona averaged 12.4 points on 58.8% shooting along with 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks he was named the 23-24 Pack 12 defensive Player of the Year in addition to being selected to the 2324 all Pack 12 First Team the year prior Bona was named to the 2223 Pack 12 freshman of the Year ranking second in the conference in field goal percentage at 65.5% all told Bona appeared in 66 games with 65 starts over two games with the Bruins averaging 10.1 points 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 block shots per game prior to UCLA Bono was a 21-22 McDonald’s high school All-American after starting at prolific prep in Napa California originally from Nigeria Bona moved to Turkey when he was 13 and represented turkey at the FBA U6 European championship in 2019 he averaged 14.1 points over seven games while ranking second in the tournament in both rebounds and block shots so a lot to digest there about who he is and some good contextual background there but what was clear for me from Dayan was the belief from the Sixers organization and you know it talks louder than words is the wallet and there are some strong indic ations that the Sixers will be signing this guy to a standard NBA deal which is not the norm for a second round pick sure it happens to a lot of guys but one of the reasons that it’s so important for players to get in the first round is that comes with a guaranteed contract that is not the case for second rounders but ADM Bona looks like he’s going to earn his anyway now we talked a little bit about the stats there there were a couple more points that I did want to note about his UCLA numbers before I dive into what I’m seeing in summer league and that some of my concerns here will start with the personal fouls 3. three per game as a freshman in just 22.9 minutes per game and then 3.6 as a sophomore in just 26.5 minutes per game the foul issues do seem to be something that he’s going to have to work through a little bit there but I did want to speak a little bit more positive to the shooting numbers there that those free throw percentage is one one of the larger concerns with him shot 57.3% in his freshman season and just 69.6% last year neither of those numbers are great but I am optimistic that that will swing in the right direction just last night he shot 6 for6 at the free throw line that it does feel there’s a little bit of touch he’s working on kind of this short push shot that’s a little bit like the Isaiah hartenstein shot that we did see with the New York Knicks against the Sixers on full display something like that would be pretty essential or important to add to his game and could open him up in a lot of ways but what I think is very clear to him is he knows how to play Within himself and that’s something he’s been open about as well when asked about his role he said quote staying true to myself doing the things that I do best whatever the team needs me to do I’ll do it doing what I do best defensively running the floor and just the overall positive outlook that he presented that was really cool he is a guy through all the interviews that I’ve seen seems to have a great head on his shoulders he’s also very excited to be sharing the floor and playing alongside Joel embiid he had this quote on draft night that I thought was very cool speaking about embiid saying that quote I’m so excited by uh I’m so excited to be there actually my older brother is a Philly fan he’s really excited right now probably back U probably he’s back home in Nigeria watching I can’t wait to to be there man I’m also getting the opportunity to meet Joel and B so I do love this quote here uh coming from Bona and it is clear that like a guy coming from Nigeria had that like motivation or inspiration from Joel em B and I do think we take that for granted a little bit for how important he is for inspiring aspiring basketball players especially those coming from maybe not the traditional route to the NBA for Joel who did not step foot in America until he was 16 years old so shout out to Joel embiid for being a beacon of light for people like Adam Bona and shout out to a Dem Bona for what he’s going to bring to the Sixers team overall now obviously it is not just Bona that the backup center position has been a point of concern for the Sixers throughout the embi era and the reason that I say that is on most most teams the backup center is essentially a plug-and-play typee role that is not the most important thing in the world but that is with teams that are not built around a 7 foot cameroonian who is the most important player on both sides of the floor so for the Sixers there’s always been these monstrous gaps when Joel embiid steps on the floor and it was hoped that the long-term backup center position could have been solved with Paul Reed But ultimately that did not prove to be the case as there was a bit of regression in his play last year did not take the necessary strides forward that was hoped and ultimately he did sign with the Detroit Pistons where he will be playing alongside Tobias Harris once again there but for the Sixers they did make some moves outside of things and by the way you can check out a full breakdown on the the Paul Reed and Tobias signings also on the channel right here on Sixers digest as well but these Sixers did make a signing Beyond just the second round addiction addition of Bona and one of those being bringing in Andre Drummond here now this is a guy who’s a proven rebounder who talked about Philly like it is home who’s very excited to be here and a guy who is very confident in his rebounding abilities as a whole he was even asked about this specifically if this is a problem he’s aware of on the Sixers team is this is something and he had some pretty convincing answers to this here with Andre Drummond he said quote I pride myself on my rebounding I set out from my rookie year to be the best there ever was to do it I stand noted to this day that I’m the best rebounder to ever play the game and he was asked specifically about that Nick series by Kai Carlin to which he replied quote I think that’s why I’m here to eliminate a lot of those issues with on once again that referring to the rebounding struggles this Sixers team did have so there’s no doubt that Andre Drummond is going to be the guy that gets first dibs at the backup center role but the reality is you there is room for both and particularly on the games in which Joel EMB does not play at all Bono will likely get the chance as the backup center for those opportunities and there’s even some people believing that he could potentially share the floor which embiid we had this quote on or this tweet on draft night from Kevin oconor of the ringer saying ADM Bona will be the best backup in Joel embiid’s Sixers career pure energy and hustle but Bona’s versatility could also enable him to play with embiid for two big lineups embiid can space on offense and Bona can handle perimeter matchups on defense so very optimistic frame from Kevin oconor there I would love for that to be the case I certainly don’t think it will be from day one but could potentially grow into it I will say from my eyes and part of this I will will throw back at the Sixers that they’ve been playing zone defense exclusively through two games in in summer league which doesn’t make any sense to me particularly as these guys have never played together before have a familiarity with what their experiences are and probably have not played that much Zone compared to their man-to-man opportunities in general but Bonet has been a guy that when he has been switched out of the perimeter I haven’t been impressed so far there was one time specifically I remember him getting put on skates out there that was a little concerning to me but he still has some really redeeming qualities his number one is going to be as a shot blocker once again the five block shots in game two is really impressive stuff there is a finite amount of players that are capable of doing that right there and he is guy that can fit that build the work rate the motor is 100% there that he is a little bit similar to Paul and the fact that you have to reel him in a little bit for foul issues and maybe doing some stuff a little out of bounds but he’s much more controlled in his decision making he’s not going to be a guy dribbling between his legs and you know creating his own jump shot in a way that is probably not the right opportunity to do that which we did see from Paul Reed at times but for bonus specifically I do believe this is something that is both a great long-term investment as a guy who could be the Joel embiid backup of a future and potentially play with Joel as well as in the short term where he’s the arch type of Center that just keeps the game simple he’s going to catch lobs he’s going to block shots he’s going to set good screens and he’s going to work his tail off every second that he is on the floor now to Kevin o Conor’s Point here I do think there is something to be said about playing Joel embiid with another big man or at least another plus rebound founder that is something that’s super appealing for me that as much as I’m in favor of this demon time starting five with Tyrese Maxi with Kelly UB with Paul George with Caleb Martin and with Joel embiid there will be certain matchups where you need a little more size and a little more rebounding and I also think he brings up a really good point about the stylistic nature of Joel embiid as much as he is as true of a big man as it comes at times he is a dude who’s very comfortable on the offense event just taking mid-range jumpers or three-point shots and what that means is when you’re the primary rebounding option there’s essentially nothing crashing the offensive boards if you can find a highlevel rebounder who is comfortable getting dirty getting in the mud in the way that we saw with even players like PJ Tucker as much of his shortcomings this was something that I did think he did at a pretty high level sitting in that dunker spot and competing Kelly UB and ni Batum each did a pretty solid job of it last year but if there is a guy that is a true offensive rebounding monster if Bona is able to carve out that role for himself there could be some spot minutes there that could potentially turn into more so I think stylistically that is something the Sixers look deeper at and taking a lottery ticket on a guy like Aden Bona is a great way to do it so overall there’s still a lot to break down for summer league but I do think Bona is Paving the way to have a standard NBA contract and the expectation is that they will that will be done that he is expected to be a member of this full 15 man six years team and I think the ink will dry on that paper a little bit sooner than a lot of people expect there but overall just another great job by darl m that for all the flaws and critiques you can have he’s been an excellent drafter for the Sixers team we’re talking about guys like Tyrese Ma guys like Isaiah Joe guys like Paul Reed guys like Aden Bona and Jared McCain sure he’s not 100 for 100 here or guys like Jaden Springer and ultimately giving up you can argue the management of assets or management of Talent OR decision-making on playtime but none of that falls directly on Daryl Mor’s plate exactly there the bottom line is he’s drafting the right guys bring him into the Sixers organization we’ll see what they turn into from there but I do think ADM Bona is a great name to add to that list so we will see what he turns into from here but a guy that I’m very intrigued by what he could he could turn into after the first couple games of summer league and once again I will be headed out to Las Vegas myself starting Friday to take in these games in person I’m very much looking forward to having a chance to talk to a couple of these players and see ultimately what they can bring to the Sixers team what their Outlook is but let me know what you guys think in the comments for now how optimistic are you about ADM Bona and what he can bring to the Sixers team I personally think there’s a lot to like from what we’ve seen so far his motor has absolutely popped off the charts to me but let me know if you agree or disagree below also make sure you’re smashing that subscribe button if you have not already and dropping a like on this video we got plenty more content coming out right here on Sixers digest so keep it locked and talk to you next time peace

The Sixers ROBBED the NBA…

Summer league is beginning to reveal what the Sixers have in their young prospects and they are each doing a great job of standing out. Sean Barnard breaks down his impression of Adem Bona and what areas he has stood out so far. He also dives into whether he will compete with Andre Drummond and why he could fit a category of player the Sixers are missing.

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