June 27, 2024
Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports
The Sixers added a big man early in the second round Thursday.
Owning the No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday, the Sixers selected Nigerian center Adem Bona, who spent two years at UCLA.
Bona, 21, is an absolutely tireless worker, whose athleticism and effort are off the charts. He stands at 6-foot-9.5 and 243 pounds with a massive 7-foot-3.75 wingspan. In his sophomore campaign last season, Bona averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 58.8 percent from the field. He made 69.6 percent of his free throws and did not attempt a three-point shot.
There isn't a harder-playing prospect in this draft than Adem Bona. His combination of mobility, length, power, quickness off his feet and intensity gives him considerable defensive potential. He should be one of the first players off the board this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/bBai927yCH
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 27, 2024
The Sixers owned this pick as a result of last February's trade, which sent guard Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics.
This comes less than a day after the team stuck with their first-round pick — No. 16 overall — and selected Duke guard Jared McCain.
While McCain — like all first-round picks — is assigned a rookie-scale contract with two guaranteed years and two team options, no such scale exists for second-round picks. Teams can give players they select in round two any kind of deal; some second-rounders receive deals that are partially-guaranteed or non-guaranteed, but since the creation of two-way contracts, many teams have focused on drafting players in round two who will accept those deals.
In fact, each of the last three No. 41 picks — Amari Bailey of the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, E.J. Liddell of the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022 and Joe Wieskamp of the San Antonio Spurs in 2021 — all signed two-way deals in their rookie seasons.
With very few players under contract for the 2024-25 season, it is entirely possible that Bona has a genuine chance of making the Sixers' roster on a standard contract — especially given how the Sixers prioritize depth behind Joel Embiid. But a two-way deal seems at least just as likely.
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