PHILADELPHIA — As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for the Orlando Magic in the 7 vs. 8 play-in tournament on Wednesday night, they will have to go into battle without Joel Embiid after the big fella had to undergo an emergency appendectomy on April 9. That means, others must step up in his place.
Without Embiid, the Sixers will turn to Adem Bona to play a big role. In just his second season in the NBA, Bona averaged 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds while also averaging 1.2 blocks in 71 games in the 2025-26 regular season. He will look to continue filling in for Embiid as the postseason gets underway against the Magic on Wednesday.
Advertisement
“I feel really excited,” Bone said. “I think I’ve been zeroing in on the opportunity that I have in front of me to be able to potentially be playing huge minutes in a play-in game. I think that’s real exciting. As a year 2 player, that’s a huge opportunity for me. So, Joel being out, we’re going to try and fill the void he left as much as possible and help the team at the top level.”
The Sixers will look to Bona to get the job done at home. If Philadelphia wins, it will advance to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed to take on the Boston Celtics in Round 1.
“Pretty excited,” Bona added. “First postseason game. It’s also exciting that we’re playing at home in front of our fans. It’s also a great opportunity to make it to the playoffs, so I’m pretty excited.”
In terms of postseason preparation, it’s obviously much more detailed than the regular season. Bona and the rest of the Sixers had to watch much more film and take on many different levels to make sure they are all ready for a Magic team that has been to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
Advertisement
“I think it’s more detailed,” Bona added. “More focus-based. Locking in on the little details. The little things that can make a huge difference. Studying the other teams a little more. Just a little more intense, more focused, and more details-based.”
That preparation will come to the forefront on at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Adem Bona discusses filling in for Joel Embiid as 76ers prep for Magic
