The Philadelphia 76ers are down to the clock, and two of the names they still want to see on the floor are Adem Bona and Anfernee Simons.
Both players were listed Monday as “partial participants” in the latest training camp session, which at least signals movement. What it does not do is settle the question everyone around the team is still asking: will either one be ready for the preseason finale later this week?
Bona’s situation has lingered for a while now. He was dealing with a foot injury well before camp opened, and that came at an unfortunate time for a team hoping to sort out the backup center spot behind Joel Embiid. The original expectation was that he might miss around two weeks of camp work, and that timeline has already been exceeded.
That matchup has essentially been wiped out anyway, because Ariel Hukporti’s Achilles injury ended his season. Bona should still have a chance to earn a rotation role once he’s back, but he still has considerable ramp-up work ahead before opening night.
Simons is in a different spot, but the end result is the same: the Sixers want to get a first public look at him in their uniform. He has plenty of NBA mileage already, but a hamstring injury in the first week of training camp kept him out of the team’s public Blue x White scrimmage after that opening week.
He has also been ruled out before each of the first three preseason games. Philadelphia has not indicated that the injury is serious enough to affect his regular-season availability, but the calendar is getting tight. The Sixers have only one preseason game left before their attention turns fully to the New York Knicks and the start of the regular season.
For Simons, a place in the rotation is there by default. He’s entering his ninth NBA season and has appeared in more than 400 games since 2018, and he looks set to be a key bench piece for Philadelphia in 2026-2027. Last season with the Boston Celtics, he played in 49 games and averaged 24.5 minutes per night while shooting 39.5% from three-point range and putting up 14.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
The Sixers’ best case is obvious: get both players into the lineup for the preseason finale on October 16 against the Boston Celtics. If that doesn’t happen, the next target is next Tuesday against the New York Knicks in the opener.
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James has done time at center before, most notably with the Lakers during the 2021-22 season, so the thought is not as far-fetched as it sounds at first blush. Still, it has not been put into action, and the appeal comes with obvious risk for a player of his age and with the physical wear that spot demands, which is why this remains more of a conversation starter than a solution. [Read more 🡒]