UCLA Bruins: Projecting Adem Bona’s NBA Ceiling

There was a chance Adem Bona wouldn’t even return for his sophomore season.

Although his counting stats were thoroughly unremarkable as a freshman, the 6’10” big man made a huge impact on the hardwood for an otherwise veteran-laden 2022-23 UCLA Bruins squad that fought its way to a stellar 31-6 overall record and a Sweet Sixteen March Madness appearance.

Bona already displayed the kind of raw, athletic upside that would make NBA scouts drool.

Although his UCLA comrades Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jaylen Clark and Amari Bailey declared for the 2023 draft, Bona elected to rest on his Pac-12 Freshman of the Year laurels and stick around as Pac-12 Coach of the Year Mick Cronin stared down. roster rebuild.

Now, Bona has blossomed, anchoring a stellar defense for a 12-12 Bruins squad that seems to have finally steadied itself after a disheartening four-game losing streak. 

Will Bona declare for 2024? Or will he stick around?

Either way, he has the tools to at least compete on NBA mock draft boards. So how will he fare at the next level?

The big drawback for Bona is one that wouldn’t have bothered people a decade ago: he can’t spread the floor.

Modern NBA offenses are predicated on four- and even five-out offenses, and while soms centers can get away with a lack of a three-point shot, it’s a bit tougher to fit in non-shooting power forwards. Though Bona has necessarily been slotted in at the five spot for this year’s Bruins, his frame for now seems better suited for the four spot. It’s hard to see him ever being able to effectively hold his own in the low post against behemoths at the center position, like Rudy Gobert or Joel Embiid. He has at least shown more willingness to look for his own offense this season, after being wildly deferential to his upperclassmen last year. 

He also isn’t a particularly frequent rebounder for his size.

That said, he’s an athletic, resilient rim-runner, and seems to function well as a complimentary piece. I wonder if his initial transition to the pros will be more along the lines fo what Adama Sonaga is experiencing now with the Chicago Bulls, as a high-motor power forward without a jumper who played a positional spot up in college. There’s still going to be a role for a Bona type at the next level, but it might behoove him to at least polish his midrange game.

With a little work, he could become a Taj Gibson type - a workmanlike big who inspires his teammates through leadership and defense, who doesn’t put up monster stats but has enough intangibles to stick around way past his expected expiration.