On the Locked on Big Board podcast today with a recap of the combine specifically mentioned that a Portland scout in attendance was "freaking out about his athleticism" and "guffawing" at how good Bona looked on defense. They also called him a potential first rounder. Figured it was thread worthy. @mods merge if you feel otherwise.
"Adem Bona is an incredibly fast and explosive open court athlete with quick twitch athleticism. He changes ends in a flash, has great upside as a defender and transition player and makes incredibly quick cuts to the basket. Bona has a strong build but is also a very graceful and fluid athlete. He’s got a great feel for making cuts for back door lobs and for filling the lane in transition, where he’s a great at attacking the rim. At this point he does most of his scoring in the lane and he does a really good job of facing up and taking his man of the dribble, using his elite quickness to blow by the defender. His main NBA calling card will be his versatile defense. He’s very good at guarding smaller players and can switch all over the court. He’s a very good rim protector and defensive rebounder. His NBA game might be a bit limited due to his lack of an outside shot but he’s got a clear path to being a rotation big who brings value with his defensive versatility, athleticism and effort." https://nbadraftroom.com/adem-bona/
Looks like he's being mocked in the early 30s. We have two early seconds. But this seems like a very Cronin/Schmitz type pick a la Missi/Ware. Rim running, athletic, shot blocking center.
I probably like Bona more than most because I think he's tenacity and athleticism will translate nicely as an end-of-the-rotation, backup, energy big. Definitely on the list of possibilities for me in the early second. This would have to be though, a package 34 and 40 to move into the late first round for me to even consider him for the Blazers in the first. If he was two inches taller/longer, I could see him in the Missi range, but the upside isn't there for consideration at our second first.
ha, I heard the same thing. he looked decent in today's scrimmage too—i'd be fine with him with one of our 2way spots. I'm a little curious how long the Ibou Badji experiment will go for--he seems a year or two away from being a year or two away.
In a hypothetical drafting of this guy. Doesn’t sound like a starting caliber player and, right now, neither is Jabari.
Badji is a waste of a 2 way roster spot. Been sure of that since I saw him in person last summer league. You could tell Reath might have backup NBA potential though.
when was the last time Portland drafted a rookie from UCLA ?? I think there's a sign in the front office [ No Bruins ]
Badji hit a 14 footer twice last year. He has untapped potential. The new assistant coaches will make a world of difference in Badji's game. He's cheap, he's tall, he speaks with an accent. Perfect fit for Cronin's international retooly-build Trailblazers.
Bona, Camara and Rupert sounds fun defensively. One skill of Jabari's that I would want replicated in his replacement would be his ability to cut to the basket. This helped Scoot get into early rhythms in a lot of games by finding a cutting Jabari Walker.
