Mohamed Bamba showed his top-5 potential against Alabama

Mohamed Bamba is one of the most polarizing players in the potential 2018 NBA Draft class. On Friday night, he showed why he deserves top consideration.

In what’s been an up-and-down start to his college career, Mohamed Bamba may have just put in his best performance to date. The Texas freshman dominated almost every facet of the Longhorn’s win on the road against Collin Sexton and Alabama. Bamba finished the night with a career-high 17 points, 11 rebounds, tied a season-high with five blocks and did so in just 29 minutes.

The big man was mostly effective because he only committed one foul and one turnover. When he plays under control and allows his team to keep him on the court, he can dominate games on the defensive end.

Bamba dominated the paint, made opponents fear driving and played with a stronger motor than in past games. His motor is probably the most important thing to monitor because his potential and tools are off the charts.

On perhaps his best sequence of the season, Bamba stayed with Sexton on a drive, blocked his shot, ran then floor and finished high above the rim with authority. This came in front of an abundance of NBA scouts, per the ESPN broadcast, who surely left impressed. Those are the types of sequences that make Bamba special and are the types he needs to show more of.

Bamba also showed his potential defending in space, able to hang stride for stride with point guards, wings and stretch-bigs. With quick feet and a 7’9″ wingspan, he truly could win several Defensive Player of the Year awards at the next level.

What Bamba did not show in this game, nor has he for any of this season, is the ability to knock down jumpers. However, if you watched this game or others of Bamba’s, he actually has fairly sound mechanics. The big man stands just 3-for-19 from 3, but that’s also a small sample size. Folks may be skeptical of his 61 percent shooting from the free throw line as well.

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That being said, again, he’s only taken 41 shots. On such small sample sizes, a good 3-4 game stretch can make those numbers look very good. Numbers are important, but don’t neglect the eye test. Bamba may have missed a few jumpers against Alabama, but he looked fluid and hit all of his free throws.

For an NBA team looking at Bamba, the most interesting question is not what he can become, but how he fits into factoring risk vs. upside. Most teams considering Bamba are likely choosing from a plethora of big men. There’s DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter, Robert Williams, Jaren Jackson Jr. and even Mitchell Robinson. So the question is. where does he fit in that group?

One could argue that even if Bamba is the best defensive prospect, Williams, Robinson and Jackson could provide enough on defense. Given the better offensive play of Ayton, Bagley and Carter, you should buy Bamba’s potential on offense too.

If you’re all in on Bamba, or relatively in, you most likely have to believe his shot is projectable. So if you believe in his generational rim protection and floor-spacing, that changes his value. Williams and Robinson cannot, and Bagley lacks the shot and rim protection. So in terms of two-way upside, there are real conversations to have about Bamba vs. Ayton or Bamba vs. Jackson. Do you value the better defense of Bamba with room to grow on offense more? Or do you prefer the unicorn ceiling on offense of Ayton with the physical tools to improve on defense?

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition

The point is, this version of Bamba is what scouts and front offices will be pondering. Can he be this player consistently and are you buying that shot? When he plays like he did against Alabama and you factor in his touch, it’s easier to buy. When it’s easier to buy, it’s hard to not have him cemented in the top-five conversation.

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