Adem Bona
Many are excited about Bona, and it is easy to see why when you watch all of the appeals of his game. But there are also some serious causes for concern that have been spotlighted over the last few weeks.
The good:
• Bona's motor is as advertised: he never stops working on either end of the floor, sometimes to a fault (more on this momentarily). He runs up and down the floor as if it is the last possession of an NBA Finals game, is relentless in his pursuit of rebounds and will contest every dunk attempt with no fear of being posterized.
• Bona is a bit shorter than the average center, but he makes up for it with incredible length and outstanding leaping ability. Not only is he capable of throwing down put-back dunks, but he has an impressive catch radius as a rim-running lob threat.
The bad:
• Having a center who can finish alley-oops is a positive for any offense, but Bona lacks any other sort of utility on that end of the floor. He is a total non-shooter with poor hands. What he can do on offense beyond setting a screen and hoping for a lane to charge downhill and throw down a dunk is unclear.
• Bona struggled mightily with fouling during his collegiate career, and those issues only escalated in this environment. Bona would have been in foul trouble during nearly every single Summer League game if the foul limit was not raised to 10; even with that increased figure, he was in foul trouble more than a few times. On one hand, as someone expected to receive small doses of playing time, fouling out is not much of a risk. But on the other hand, constantly sending opponents to the free throw line or helping them inch closer to being in the bonus is a significant hinderance to winning.
• Bona has a very real chance to become a quality rotation big, but every piece of evidence we have suggests he is raw and should be considered somewhat of a development project. The current state of the Sixers roster paints a different picture, because Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond are the only other centers on their roster. The Sixers have three open roster spots remaining; using one on a center to protect Bona from being overtasked as a rookie would be prudent.
It is clear that becoming a quality backup center is very much within Bona's range of outcomes. But for now, he is the team's third-string center after signing a four-year standard NBA contract. Embiid missing a significant amount of action is inevitable. Is Bona ready for NBA minutes in just a few months from now? I am a bit skeptical.