The Philadelphia 76ers and head coach Nick Nurse are deep into their camp as they prepare for the upcoming season. Joel Embiid is practicing in full with the team after missing almost the entire 2024-25 season while Tyrese Maxey is embracing leadership and mentor role to their 2025 third overall pick VJ Edgecombe. The one prominent personnel missing at the moment is Paul George.
Like Embiid and Maxey, PG13 missed significant amount of games in what could have been a year of the Sixers’ new Big 3. Will he be able to start the season? Nurse said the nine-time All-Star is still not ready.
PG missing pre-season game and scrimmage means there’s still a gap in their starting five. Nurse revealed he is filling it up by testing EuroBasket standout Adem Bona at the four and pairing him up with Embiid.
“I think there’s kind of an open position at the four, especially right now with Paul not being quite ready yet,” Nurse said.
“There’s a number of guys that we’re trying to work into that spot. … (Bona) is probably going to be more of the five. He’s going to play down toward the basket, rim protect and things like that. There’s certainly some drives and dump-offs to him. . . He’ll help the rebounding, he’ll help the rim protection. We’ll see how it goes.”
The 6’10 Bona, who was picked 41st overall by the Sixers last year, played for Turkey in EuroBasket this summer. His team finished as runners up after losing to Germany in the finals.
Nick Nurse has a good news
While the PG13 news is not as pleasant, Nurse got another one that 76ers would love.
Embiid, who a month ago did not have a timeline for return, is getting much better now. Nurse said his form is coming along now.
“I was kind of prepared for that [crowd reaction] today,” the coach said after the scrimmage as quoted by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I knew this would be the first time you guys [the media] or the public would have seen him for a long time.
“And then he went out there and did his thing. He shot the ball well. He scored well. He orchestrated the offense well. I thought he ran pretty good, as well, both directions.”
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