New Headline: Heat Strike Back, Dominating from Start to Finish
Philadelphia 76ers big man Adem Bona singles out a Hall of Famer for influencing him on the defensive end of the floor.
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers have received some terrific production out of big man Adem Bona. The No. 41 pick of the 2024 NBA draft has been a great rim protector ae he is averaging 1.
2 blocks per game in his 115 career NBA games. Bona had four blocks in Saturday's win over the Brooklyn Nets and one has to wonder how he has continued to take big steps in that area. Shot blocking has always been his thing, but Bona has been terrific in that area to begin his NBA career.
"I mean, my teammates trust me more," Bona said. "Sometimes, they just send their man down to me, and I also have the reputation down there. So, it makes guys scared to go to the rim, but yeah, just keep doing what I'm doing.
My teammates are trusting me more and trust me to block a shot. " As a young man growing up in Nigeria, Bona didn't watch too much basketball, but when he did start, there was a certain Hall of Fame big man known for shot blocking and defense that he tried to embody. "It’s funny, growing up, I didn't really watch a lot of basketball in Nigeria, but when I started watching basketball, I used to watch Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Ben Wallace was one kind of guy kind of really liked when I started watching basketball," Bona smiled.