May 31, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Adem Bona has compelling upside. There remains significant work to be done, though.
Now that the 2025-26 Sixers season is complete after a thrilling first-round series comeback and a jarring second-round sweep, it is time to reflect on the year that was.
Welcome to Sixers year-in-review, where each player's campaign will be analyzed with a combination of statistics, film and reporting.
Up last: Adem Bona, who started his second NBA season on an extremely high note and closed it out with a poor taste in his mouth.
Early on in 2025-26, it looked like Bona had the chance to finally stabilize the backup center spot behind Joel Embiid. Despite considerable opportunity in the regular season and playoffs, though, he ended the season out of head coach Nick Nurse's rotation. How can Bona solidify his standing in a critical third season?
SIXERS YEAR-IN-REVIEW
Joel Embiid | Tyrese Maxey | Paul George | Andre Drummond | Quentin Grimes | VJ Edgecombe | Dominick Barlow | Kelly Oubre Jr. | Trendon Watford | Justin Edwards | Jabari Walker | Kyle Lowry | Adem Bona
Bona cannot be the Sixers' primary option to back up Embiid at center heading into next season.
When Bona is at his best, he can completely change the tenor of a game in a way that greatly benefits the Sixers. But far too often – as was most evident during the playoffs – his athleticism and unrelenting motor are held back by unforced errors, a lack of touch around the rim, bad hands and an inability to secure defensive rebounds.
Bona's defensive versatility and shot-blocking prowess make him a viable NBA center. But until he can demonstrate an ability to consistently limit mistakes or become a considerably more impactful rebounder, it will be hard for the Sixers to have any faith that he can be relied upon to play on a nightly basis.
The good news for Bona: given how frequently Embiid is sidelined, the Sixers' third-string center spot carries more weight than any other in the NBA. Even if he does not begin the season as Embiid's primary backup, he will be in line for a meaningful role, likely with upward mobility to get back into that second-string role.
Bona's strengths are massively helpful, but his deficiencies are oftentimes equally or even more harmful. If he can even make his weaknesses slightly less glaring, he will have a solid chance of sticking around in the league.
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Bona blocked 3.2 shots per 100 possessions, ninth-best in the NBA.
It is easy to watch Bona's lowlights or a game in which he is at his worst and decide it is time for the Sixers to wash their hands of this experience and go for a more stable backup center. But players who can block shots like Bona simply do not grow on trees. It would not be easy for the Sixers to find a player who could swing a game in their direction with rim protection like this:
Adem Bona had five blocks in the Sixers' win in Washington on Tuesday, with all five of them coming in the last 12 minutes of the game. The final swat came after Bona put the Sixers ahead with a put-back dunk.
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) October 29, 2025
Full highlights from Bona's clutch closing effort: pic.twitter.com/JR8YKdTgTt
Bona has a combination of height, mobility, motor, length and leaping ability which is hard to find analogs for around the league. Even if it means putting up with frustrating plays, a lot of teams would love to have a player with Bona's tools in their mix.
Bona to PhillyVoice on adding a three-point shot to his game, April 12:
"That's definitely a part of my game I do [want to] develop a little more, [earn] more trust in my teammates and myself and my coaching staff to be able to take shots like that. Obviously, it's a process; it takes time to get there. So obviously next year, the goal is to be able to do that more, even though [there weren't many situations which] called for it this year. That's just the goal: to be able to expand and to build trust in myself and the teammates and the coaching staff."
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How many more opportunities will Bona have to find his footing?
When he was a rookie, Bona's errors were rookie mistakes made on a tanking team. In 2025-26, he was still learning, playing his first doses of truly important NBA minutes and outperforming any reasonable expectations for a No. 41 overall pick.
Next year, though, Bona will be a third-year player, and the clock is ticking. The makeup of an energetic backup big is there, and oftentimes Bona's performance is satisfactory. But too often the back-breaking mistakes come at the worst times, and there are only so many times one coaching staff will tolerate them.
There may be no member of the 2025-26 Sixers set to face heightened pressure next season to the degree Bona will. It is a true make-or-break year for Bona, who will turn 24 years old near the end of the regular season – especially given a new front-office regime is replacing the one that drafted him in 2024.
Even for those pessimistic about Bona's chances of putting it all together and becoming a high-caliber backup center in the NBA, it is not remotely challenging to see the picture that the Sixers saw when they drafted him. Bona's job next season: make that image much less fleeting.
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