Coming into the 2025-26 season, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers. All-Star center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid is currently sidelined due to injury, and there is no concrete timeline for his return to the court. Paul George, the 76ers’ prized 2024 offseason acquisition, is also sidelined due to injury without a definitive return timeline. And to make matters worse, promising second-year guard Jared McCain suffered another injury. That leaves opportunity for players on the 76ers’ roster to have a breakout season.
With Quentin Grimes likely to be on a one-year deal and hitting unrestricted free agency next offseason, there is the potential that he could elevate his game even more especially in the wake of George’s absence. McCain would have been a phenomenal choice to 76ers’ player most likely to have a breakout season, and he still might be once he returns from his recent injury.
With a potential increase in minutes and role for Trendon Watford, he too could be a solid candidate to have a breakout season. His competition for playing time to start the season is likely second-year forward Justin Edwards, and Watford could be a good bet to start at power forward on opening night. But the one player who could make the most of his opportunity and have a breakout year for the 76ers is second-year big man Adem Bona.
Adem Bona will have breakout season for 76ers
With all the uncertainty surrounding Embiid, it’s probably best for 76ers fans to tame their expectations and be prepared for him to miss quite a bit of the upcoming season. With training camp and preseason on the horizon, veteran big man Andre Drummond should be penciled in as the 76ers starting center.
But after Drummond, the team’s frontcourt depth is a little shaky in terms of experience. Watford and Edwards are forwards and Johni Broome is a rookie. Broome might actually see minutes to begin the season out of necessity. But Bona is going to be the biggest beneficiary of the opportunities available in the frontcourt.
The No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Bona played sparingly during the first half of the 2024-25 season. It wasn’t until later in the second half of the season, with the 76ers’ postseason hopes flailing away, that Bona saw an increase in minutes and opportunity on the court. He also was moved into the starting lineup for the final nine games of the season.
Overall, Bona appeared in 58 games for the 76ers as a rookie, including 11 starts, at a little over 15 minutes per game. He averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots with splits of 70.3 percent shooting from the field and 67 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
As a starter, Bona averaged 14.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and about 2.3 blocked shots in a little over 30 minutes per game. Obviously it’s still a rather small sample size of only 11 games, but those numbers are encouraging.
Bona is a better defensive player than Drummond, and he’s creeping up on him in terms of rebounding. With consistent minutes, Bona can be a double-double threat. Drummond is obviously going to be the starter at center come opening night for the 76ers. But Bona is going to push him for center minutes. Because of his defense, Bona could ultimately move into the starting lineup depending on how long Embiid is out. And that is why Bona is the player most likely to have a breakout season for the 76ers.
