The summer league is over for the Philadelphia 76ers after Friday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets in Las Vegas. The Sixers played eight games in total–three in Salt Lake City and five in Vegas–and their attention now turns to making sure they lock up Quentin Grimes as well as preparing for the 2025-26 season.
This next addition of the takeaways from summer league turns to second-year big man Adem Bona who averaged 8.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in five games spanning across the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas summer leagues. The big man took steps forward in a few areas as he begins his second go-around in the league.
For Bona, his takeaways are:
Vocal leadership
Some may brush this off, but Bona being vocal and telling his teammates where to go on either end of the floor is so important. The Sixers challenged him to be that vocal guy as a rookie, but expectedly, he had trouble doing so. Not this time around. The second-year big man was extremely loud and made sure guys were in the right spots on the defensive end of the floor. From press row at the Thomas & Mack Center, it was obvious that Bona had taken big steps forward as a leader and somebody who isn’t afraid to use his voice.
Offensive rebounding
Bona averaged 3.0 offensive rebounds in three games in Las Vegas. That’s a big number that has to be brought over to the regular season in October. If Bona can continue to be an elite offensive rebounder, then that, obviously, creates extra possessions for the Sixers and allows them to get extra shots on the offensive end of the floor. Philadelphia has had trouble on the glass at times in recent seasons. While Bona isn’t the tallest, he can use his high motor and rebounding skills to create those extra possessions.
Shot blocking
Bona averaged 1.2 blocks as a rookie, so he had already shown an ability to do so, but he averaged 3.7 blocks in Vegas, including a 6-block performance against the Washington Wizards. If that is something he can carry over to the regular season, then that’s another defensive aspect the Sixers can count on in the coming season. They will be looking to him to anchor the defensive unit for that second group and if he can continue to do so at a high level, then Bona and the Sixers can take another step forward on the defensive end.