UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Reacts to Adem Bona Declaring for the NBA Draft

UCLA star big man Adem Bona has announced he will take his talents to the pro level. Bona officially announced on Friday morning that he will declare for the 2034 NBA draft.

It will be a significant defection for the program, as they will lose their best defender and enforcer. Nonetheless, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin couldn't be happier for the 6-foot-10 sophomore, as Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times reports.

Mick Cronin on Adem Bona: "“We are so thankful for his unselfish time as a Bruin. He’s a humble young man with a big heart, and he has been a fantastic teammate. Adem is going to be an unbelievable player as he continues to get reps and keeps working on his game."

— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) April 12, 2024

Bona has grown so much as a player under Cronin. The 21-year-old dropped many passes and got in a ton of foul trouble as a freshman. However, he only grew from there, coming up clutch on defense multiple times and leading the Bruins to the number two seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament.

His sophomore season was by far his best, individually speaking. Bona averaged 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks in 33 games. In his time at UCLA, he was named the 2024 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, 2023 Pac-12 Rookie of the Year, two-time Pac-12 All-Defense, Pac-12 All-Freshman, and was a part of the 2024 All-Pac-12 team. Sure, the Bruins missed out on the Big Dance this year, but that was hardly Bona's fault.

The big man from Nigeria is projected to be a first-round pick and could be an anchor for any NBA team he lands with. He may not be as skilled on the offensive end, but if he can be the defensive monster we saw in 66 games at UCLA, he will be fine staying on the court.