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76ers Make Decision on Rookie Player Before Miami Heat Matchup

The Philadelphia 76ers have recalled Adem Bona.

Justin Grasso

Oct 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) in action against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Oct 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) in action against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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On Monday night, the Philadelphia 76ers could be down a key big man as Joel Embiid is back on the injury report. In order to ensure they had more depth at the position, the Sixers made a roster move to recall the rookie Adem Bona from the NBA G League.

Ahead of the Delaware Blue Coats’ road matchup against the College Park Skyhawks, the Sixers assigned Bona to the team. While the Blue Coats faced the Skyhawks on Sunday night, Bona was not a part of the action. The team started Isaiah Mobley at center instead.

The plan might’ve been for Bona to get some G League action while Joel Embiid is back in the mix for the Sixers, but a sudden illness has Embiid’s availability for Monday’s game against the Miami Heat in doubt.

So far this season, Embiid has appeared in just two of the Sixers’ first 12 matchups.

The second-round rookie Adem Bona has appeared in nine matchups for the Sixers this season. In those games, his playing time has been limited, as he’s averaging just 3.7 minutes per game.

When the Sixers faced the Cleveland Cavaliers last Wednesday, Bona collected his most notable stretch of playing time. Against the Cavs, the big man checked in off the bench for 17 minutes. During that time, he produced four points on 67 percent shooting, and collected a block.

While Bona is available for the Sixers in Miami, the team will likely roll with a heavy dose of Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond. For all of Embiid’s absences, Drummond started for the 76ers. Considering he’s on pace to play on Monday, Drummond could likely earn his tenth start of the year in Miami.

So far this season, Drummond has averaged nine points and ten rebounds. As for Yabusele, he has produced nine points and five rebounds in 12 games of action. The forward/center hybrid has been one of the Sixers’ better role players this year as he continues working on his NBA comeback.

The Sixers and the Heat are set to tip-off at 7:30 PM ET.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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