Where is Mo Bamba?
Mo Bamba, the 6th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, had lofty expectations when he came to Orlando. He was selected one pick behind All-Star Trae Young, and many had hopes that he can become an All Star in his own development. Videos were released prior to the draft of Bamba being able to knockdown the long ball consistently with a smooth release. Many believed he could be a diamond in the rough among the rookie class and compared him to Rudy Gobert on the defensive end. The wrinkle to his game that separated him from the All-Defensive Gobert was his ability to develop an offensive game with range. He blocked shots better than anyone in the NCAA during his one year at Texas. There were question marks sprinkled throughout his lack of polished game and thin-frame, but Orlando took a chance on the 7 footer as a development project.
When Bamba arrived in Orlando, there was optimism that he could contribute right away. He was outspoken regarding his excitement to join the Magic organization and be “the face of the NBA” (This quote comes from an NBA commercial regarding the 2018 draft and is a direct quote from Bamba). Immediately after being drafted rumors circulated regarding the availability of Vucevic. Clearly they both play the same position and it would be nearly impossible to imagine the two working in tandem. Many believed this was the writing on the wall for Nikola’s time in Orlando and they could look to deal him as soon as July after the draft. However, it has taken time for Bamba to see the basketball floor consistently, and this is the method that John Hammond has built in his time as a General Manager. Hammond loves to draft prospects with length and put them through two years of a NBA strength program before they are ready to play against grown men.
The first season for Mo was as expected. There were some growing pains in his transition into the league and he has too weak of a frame to battle down low with 270 pound bigs. He is a true 7’0 with the longest recorded wingspan in NBA combine history at 7’10, but was at least 30 pounds lighter than the average center weighing in at 248 pounds. Bamba was able to prove his three point ability shooting 30% from 3 after barely shooting a single jump shot in college. His form looked fluid and you could tell he had been working on skill work. Unfortunately, he did not have much time to become comfortable at the NBA level as he fractured his leg and only played 47 games in the regular season.
Bamba’s sophomore year was greatly anticipated. News released that Bamba had gained significant muscle mass during the offseason and was ready to contribute in a major way. There were still question markets understanding where his minutes would come from as Nikola Vucevic, Jonathan Isaac, and Aaron Gordon could all play the big man position, but it was exciting nonetheless. A lineup of AG, JI, and Bamba is a tantalizing group with length, athleticism, and potential to be one of the best defensive lineups in the league. The trio was given the nickname B.I.G. (Bamba, Isaac, Gordon) and Magic fans were excited to see Clifford play this young core together. However, Clifford has a system where he plays the best performing practice player, and Birch won that competition. Bamba saw his minutes dip from his rookie season, but his outside shot looked improved as his 3P% jumped to nearly 35%. That was almost near the league average of 36.4% for a second year big man with shot blocking ability. His improved season was unexpectedly cut short due to an interesting development. Bamba tested positive for Covid-19 and was still experiencing symptoms that were hindering his conditioning. This was a concern because the Magic organization pushed this information under the rug and didn’t publicly announce his issues until months after the fact. He ended up not playing in the remainder of the NBA season as Orlando lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks in the bubble.
Bamba is now in his third season and fans are waiting for the results of the high lottery draft selection. Players like Collin Sexton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr. were selected after Bamba and have proven to become cornerstones for their respective franchises. Where is Mo? He is benched behind the All-Star caliber Vucevic and 28 year old Khem Birch. The young center isn’t averaging 7 minutes a game this season, but has a PER of 34.4 in those 6 minutes where he has seen garbage time action in only 9 games. In this lost Orlando Magic season, due to injuries across the board, it is time to see what they have in Mo Bamba. Vucevic is averaging north of 33MPG for the Magic to sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference. I would like to think that Jeff Weltman and Steve Clifford understand this and begin to reevaluate the roster for next season. Regardless of the moves made to veteran players at the deadline, Bamba needs to see a significant increase in playing time to see what value he can provide to the organization.
