Philadelphia 76ers Recall Player Ahead of LA Clippers Matchup

The Philadelphia 76ers brought their rookie back to the roster ahead of the Clippers matchup.

Feb 2, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A view of the Spectrum logo at center court during game between Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

After the Philadelphia 76ers took care of business against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, the team made a small roster move by assigning the rookie center Adem Bona to the NBA G League. Bona joined the Blue Coats ahead of their matchup against the New York Knicks’ affiliate, which took place on Sunday afternoon.

As expected, Bona was available for the Blue Coats against the Westchester Knicks. The rookie center picked up the start alongside Lester Quinones, Jeff Dowtin, Darius Bazley, and Justin Edwards.

With the Blue Coats and the Knicks matchup in the bag, Bona has been recalled to the 76ers ahead of their Sunday night matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. The center is expected to be available for the matchup.

Adem Bona recalled by the @sixers after posting 17 & 7 in a @blue_coats W: “I’m actually going there right now, or once I get off this interview.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/iNBVTERzHH

— Matt Murphy (@Matt_Murphy04) November 24, 2024

The Sixers are rolling without their starting center, Joel Embiid, on Sunday night. It will mark his second straight game with an absence. Ahead of the Brooklyn matchup, Embiid experienced swelling in his knee. The Sixers downgraded the veteran center to questionable before ruling him out. After an evaluation, Embiid was ruled out ahead of the LA matchup as well.

When the Sixers took on the Nets without Embiid, Nick Nurse decided to tweak the starting five. Typically, the big man Andre Drummond would get the nod to start, but Guerschon Yabusele took on that role instead.

In 31 minutes, Yabusele scored ten points. He accounted for a double-double by coming down with 11 rebounds as well.

As for Drummond, he checked in for 17 minutes off the bench. The veteran produced ten points on 50 percent shooting from the field. He came down with six rebounds.

Bona didn’t collect any playing time in the absence of Embiid. At this point in the season, he remains a reserve option in the frontcourt.

The rookie has ten appearances this season. Over that stretch, he’s averaged just three minutes of playing time, producing one point and one rebound per game.

With the Blue Coats on Sunday, Bona appeared on the court for 28 minutes. He put up nine shots from the field, making all but two of his attempts. With a few free throw points, Bona wrapped up the game with 17 points. He also had seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in the Blue Coats’ 131-125 victory over the Knicks.