Bona's role during the 2025-26 campaign was largely on par with how he was deployed as a rookie in 2024-25. In 71 regular-season appearances, the UCLA product averaged 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 59.5 percent from the field in 17.4 minutes per contest. He primarily served as a reserve alongside Andre Drummond behind Joel Embiid, but with Embiid's frequent injuries and Philadelphia's cautious approach to using its star big man, Bona wound up making 18 starts during the regular season. With Drummond departing in free agency, the 76ers brought in Ariel Hukporti to bolster its frontcourt depth. Hukporti played sparingly during his two seasons with the Knicks, so while he figures to carve out a role, Bona is better positioned to emerge as the primary backup center. The 23-year-old hasn't shown much as a scoring threat, but he's a physical presence in the paint who provides value on the defensive end, particularly as a shot blocker. Embiid is the unquestioned starting center when healthy, thus generally limiting Bona to a bench role, but given that the former hasn't reached the 40-game mark in any of the previous three regular seasons, Bona could see additional starting opportunities during the 2026-27 campaign.