BOSTON — As the Philadelphia 76ers move forward in their Round 1 series with the Boston Celtics, they will continue to look at second-year big man Adem Bona to continue filling in for the sidelined Joel Embiid. It’s a tall task for Bona to go up against a team like the Celtics who are laced with talent and veteran know-how, but he still is a young big man trying to find his way in this league.
Bona had three points and three rebounds in his playoff debut in Sunday’s 123-91 Game 1 loss to the Celtics. He picked up two fouls in the first 90 seconds and was relegated to the bench early. He was eventually able to settle in and find his rhythm, but it was an overall tough experience for him.
Veteran big man Andre Drummond also picked up a couple of fouls in his first stint, but when sitting on the bench next to Bona, he had a message for him in order to keep him sharp.
“I think we both picked up two (fouls) in that first half,” Drummond said at practice on Monday. “So, when he was sitting next to me, I kind of just pulled him over and say, ‘Hey, listen, like, that’s just the flow of the game, and don’t be less aggressive. Continue to be aggressive. The game will start to adjust to the way we play,’ and he settled himself in. He started finding his rhythm a little bit in the game. So, I think he’ll be fine next game when we come out and let the game speak for itself.”
For a guy like Bona who needs to strike that balance of calming down along with staying aggressive, that can be hard to do. He’s only in his second season and all he knows is playing hard and with a ton of energy. Drummond has been in the league now for 14 years. This is nothing new to him. With that being said, he believes in the young big man that he will eventually find a way to settle down and figure it out.
“So, for him, it’s just finding that happy medium, man, and he’s a smart player,” Drummond added. “He’s very smart, and he knows what to do. He’s been playing starting minutes all year. So, he just needs to find his rhythm and find that balance between aggression and not being crazy.”
Bona is going to continue to play hard and continue to give the Sixers a lot of energy and hustle. As long as he can do that, he will be an important player and find a way to be productive in Game 2 on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 76ers veteran Andre Drummond gives advice to Adem Bona on the playoffs
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