76ers Make Roster Move Ahead of Clash vs Knicks on Tuesday

The Philadelphia 76ers have recalled their second-round rookie for the matchup against the Knicks.
Oct 11, 2024; Des Moines, Iowa, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) drives between Philadelphia 76ers forward Jordan Tucker (22) and Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) at Wells Fargo Arena. The Timberwolves beat the 76ers 121 to 111.  Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2024; Des Moines, Iowa, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) drives between Philadelphia 76ers forward Jordan Tucker (22) and Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona (30) at Wells Fargo Arena. The Timberwolves beat the 76ers 121 to 111. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for their Tuesday night matchup against the New York Knicks, the team made a minor roster move to add some depth.

According to a team official, the Sixers have recalled the rookie center Adem Bona from the NBA G League’s Delaware Blue Coats. Bona is set to be available for the Sixers on Tuesday night against the Knicks.

On Sunday, the Sixers went toe-to-toe with the Charlotte Hornets. In an overtime thriller, Bona was not a part of the action. After picking up a DNP, the team assigned the young center to the Blue Coats ahead of their Monday night matchup against the Boston Celtics’ affiliate, the Maine Celtics.

Bona got the nod to start for the Blue Coats on Monday. He checked in for nearly 30 minutes. The matchup was his official G League debut.

During his time on the court, Bona put up nine shots from the field. He made five of his attempts and knocked down both of his free throws. The rookie center would finish the game with 14 points. He was just one rebound shy of a double-double.

Bona also produced four assists, four steals, and blocked a shot. On a personal level, his performance was impressive, but Bona couldn’t will the Blue Coats past the Celtics for a victory. Delaware came up short with a 130-111 loss.

With Bona set to join the Sixers again on Tuesday night, he’ll likely remain solely as a depth piece. The Sixers are expected to get the veteran center Joel Embiid back in the mix. He is making his debut after missing the first nine games of the season due to multiple reasons.

Even without Embiid, Nick Nurse utilized the combination of Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele at center. Bona made six appearances through the first stretch of the year, averaging two minutes on the court per outing. With Bona being deep down the depth chart, he’s likely to see more appearances in the G League as the 2024-2025 NBA season goes on.


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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