UCLA Basketball: Why Tantalizing Frontcourt Tandem Has Barely Played Together

Hopefully that changes soon.

6'10" sophomore UCLA Bruins starting center Adem Bona has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Pac-12 this season. His scoring has also seen an uptick, even if his shooting range has not: the 2023 Pac-12 All-Defense honoree is averaging 12.5 points on 59.2% shooting from the floor, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks a night.

7'3" freshman Spanish center Aday Mara, who prior to the season was a projected 2024 NBA lottery pick, has had a rough go of it to kick off the season. 

Initially expected to start next to Bona for a formidable frontline, Mara is instead barely a rotation player thus far. 

The anticipated Mara-Bona tandem hasn't really been much of an item in fifth-year Bruins head coach Mick Cronin's lineup thus far at all.

Per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times, Cronin weighed in on why he has resisted exploring what would be a particularly jumbo-sized front line for a 6-9 Bruins club still grasping for answers.

"[The pairing is] something that we've not done trying but it's been hard for [Mara] to get those minutes [and] when he gets his minutes, I need him to help us on the offensive end."

Bolch offered up another insight on Mara, from Cronin, in an additional piece.

“If we can get him going offensively — and we desperately need it,” Cronin said, “then I’ll just figure out the defensive part.”