Joel Embiidâ€s in the middle of a new twist to Sixers head coach Nick Nurseâ€s preseason tinkering.
Embiid featured Sunday in the Sixers†annual Blue-White scrimmage at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. And he shared the floor with another big man in Adem Bona.Â
Nurse confirmed after the scrimmage that heâ€s “trying to look at Bona and Joel together.†With Paul George sidelined as he works back from a left knee injury and Trendon Watford out because of right hamstring tightness, itâ€s not yet clear how the Sixers will divvy up power forward minutes. Two-way contract player Dominick Barlow has played well this preseason and fellow two-way Jabari Walker has also been in the mix.Â
Bona is an unconventional option, although Nurse noted his role may not change much alongside Embiid. The 22-year-old stuck almost exclusively to dunks, layups, put-backs and the occasional post-up his rookie year. In contrast, Embiidâ€s jump shooting and overall array of offensive skills have historically been giant strengths.
“I think thereâ€s kind of an open position at the four, especially right now with Paul not being quite ready yet,†Nurse said. “Thereâ€s a number of guys that weâ€re trying to work into that spot. … (Bona) is probably going to be more of the five. Heâ€s going to play down toward the basket, rim protect and things like that. Thereâ€s certainly some drives and dump-offs to him … that are high-percentage plays. I like that part. Heâ€ll help the rebounding, heâ€ll help the rim protection. Weâ€ll see how it goes.â€â€
Bona brought his typical shot swatting to the scrimmage and stared down Johni Broome after denying the rookie a dunk. Heâ€s pleased at the prospect of playing next to Embiid.Â
“I think it brings another dynamic to the team,†Bona said. “Itâ€s going to bring a huge amount of size and presence in the paint.â€
While Bona measured a tad over 6-foot-8 without shoes at the NBA draft combine, he indeed plays much bigger. The UCLA productâ€s wingspan is a shade under 7-4. He posted a 40-inch maximum vertical leap at the combine and sure seems to have added to that.Â
Of course, most Sixers projections ride on Embiidâ€s health. He scrimmaged Sunday, moved smoothly and scored plenty.
The Sixers have avoided timelines in discussing Embiidâ€s return from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The scrimmage was his first live action in front of a crowd since Feb. 22.
“I knew this would be the first time you guys had seen him for a long time,†Nurse said. “I donâ€t know how many weeks this is now — Iâ€m losing track — but heâ€s been out there playing. Again, just trying to continue to progress.Â
“Today was a good progression day. Lots of running, lots of 5-on-5, lots of early practice stuff, lots of 5-on-0. … And then he went out there and did his thing. He shot the ball well, he scored well, he orchestrated the offense well. I thought he ran pretty good as well — both directions.â€
Bona would love to see all of that translate to games. When the Sixers drafted him, he envisioned frontcourt minutes with Embiid.
“Iâ€ve been working toward that,†he said, “and Iâ€m really excited to see how thatâ€s going to look.â€
Source link
