UCLA Basketball: Adem Bona Believes He's Finally Returning To Freshman Season Form

This is a major key to UCLA's success this season.

Sophomore Adem Bona has been a foundational piece in the Bruins' system since last season, where he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, and was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. 

After a few rough games including exits due to fouling out against Villanova, UC Riverside, and Maryland, Bona appears back in freshman form after some strong performances against Oregon and Oregon State. 

Here's what head coach Mick Cronin had to say about the big man's resurgence (per uclabruins.com): 

“It felt really good … to see the Adem we had last year. It’s really amazing. I’m also excited that the team had the belief in me to be able to help. I’m also glad that the team pulled it out. It wasn’t just me playing out there. [Brandon Williams] stepped up today big time. That was exciting. [Dylan Andrews, Will McClendon] hitting threes. We were playing defense too. We had a lot of deflections. That’s also one of our goals.”

Cronin's enthusiasm about having Bona back speaks volumes about the impact he has out there, as his playing at the level he's capable of as a two-way, rim-running center, creates major advantages on both sides of the ball for the Bruins. 

From a more technical basketball perspective, Bona's strong paint presence creates a formidable backline that grants guards the ability to play more aggressively on the perimeter, creating more deflections via playing the passing lanes more aggressively, whilst also allowing them to put more pressure on the ballhandler. 

A potential first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Bona's two-way ability is inarguably a massive factor in the Bruins' success – let's see if he can keep it up.