Adem Bona joins Joel Embiid in 76ers' history books in win vs. Jazz
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PHILADELPHIA — Recently, Nick Nurse admitted that he needed to get Adem Bona some more minutes. As the Philadelphia 76ers struggle through injuries to Joel Embiid and other veterans, the rookie center showed why he’s worthy of soaking up that extra playing time.
Bona played 32 minutes off the bench, recording 14 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and two steals for the first double-double of his career. Each of those stats is a career high. Although Philly was already bound to give him and other youngsters more minutes as their season spirals, he has to prove to be competent enough to leave out there for more than a few minutes at a time. His performance against an admittedly horrible Jazz team didn't just do that, it put him in the franchise history books.
Bona’s performance was only the fourth instance of a Sixers rookie recording 10 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Joel Embiid was the last to do it. Nerlens Noel and Shawn Bradley did it before him. All three of those bigs were top-10 picks; Bona went 41st overall in last year’s draft.
"To be honest,everything," Bona responded to a question about what part of his performance he was the most proud of. "Obviously,I’m proud of my rebounding. That’swhereI should be hanging my hat.Reboundingisbigforsomeone like me…Also, I’m proud of myoffensivereboundingtoday.Alsodefensively, I would say I’m proud ofcommanding the defensetoday. Calling out weak [or] strong [coverages] today, I think that I did well at that."
Adem Bona plays big minutes in 76ers’ win over Jazz
The 76ers have needed Bona more than they anticipated this season. Rather than getting lots of chances to develop in the G League, he’s only played twice in the NBA’s minor leagues because the Sixers have needed him for center depth. Being around the big-league club more isn't the worst thing but it meant fewer opportunities to learn from on-court experience, only logging more than 10 minutes in 26 of his 43 games with the Sixers.
Nick Nurse loved the pressure he put on the Jazz, creating a level of impact that felt like it was greater than just his seven offensive boards and five swatted shots.
"That was really [a] supergoodversion of him out there tonight," Nurse said. "Whenhe’sbouncyandrunningandsettledintothegame — which hedid right fromthe start — thenhe’sgood."
Nurse said that Bona is "super athletic, as you can see,inallfacets." Bona said his second jump and speed allow him to find success on the court, as does understanding opponents’ tendencies, which is particularly helpful when he steps out to defend guards on the perimeter. He may not be the tallest player out there but he can make up for it plenty with his agility and non-stop motor.
Bona, who expected to be on a competitive 76ers team in his first NBA go-around, will instead see plenty of minutes for the rest of the season. Although Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele will remain ahead of him in the pecking order, he’s bound to get chances as Philly wraps up a season that's moving, whether the team wants it or not, in a tanking direction. Any benefit it plays in his development will be a wonderful silver lining for the Sixers.
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