Boston Celtics: Early look at 5 2018 NBA Draft prospects, Part 1

3. Mohamed Bamba

Height: 6’11”, Weight: 225 lbs
Age: 19
Position: Center
Stats: 11.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 4.5 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 APG, 50.9 FG%, 19.0 3P%

• Player Comparison: Better-shooting Clint Capela
• Ceiling: All-Star
• Floor: Starter

Mohamad Bamba is going to be a star in this league. He has been drawing comparisons to the great defender Rudy Gobert. Much like Gobert and Clint Capela, Bamba can be a complete rim protector. However, the one thing that seperates him from the likes of those two, is that he has the ability to shoot the ball as well.

Imagine if Capela could shoot the ball somewhere other than around the rim – that would be scary. Drafting Bamba means that you are going to get a power forward/center. He has the build to be a center in this league, but does lack the build.

Standing at 6’11” is not the issue, but it’s his weight that is going to be something he needs to work on. If the Celtics were to draft him, he would need to add more muscle. Currently only 225 pounds, Bamba, would struggle to bang inside the paint at first.

He is an excellent defender, as his stats show that alone. His 4.5 blocks per game are jaw dropping, and to add to that, he is second in the NCAA in that category. His 7’9” wingspan makes it easy for him to block anything near the rim. Bamba is another one of those players who will be a contender for Defensive Player of the Year. His defense is going to be elite, but it’s his offense that is still lagging a bit.

His 19 percent shooting from 3 is not something you would like to see from a potential stretch-big. Granted, he is a center, but that is the direction the NBA is going in today’s world. Having a player to space the floor is so valuable and important. He is still very young, so it would not be hard to see him improve in that category over time.

He is 19 years old, and unlike a lot of players who enter the draft, he will be 20 by time the draft rolls around. A lot of his points come from dunks, or somewhere around the rim. This is nothing to be concerned about, because we see lot of players make their money’s worth in today’s game around the rim (Gobert, Capela, Dwight Howard, etc.).

With his large wingspan, he is also excellent at rebounding the ball. On practically anything that is up for grabs, Bamba will be grabbing it. Once he adds muscle to his body, he will be very effective boxing people out. Until then, he will have to rely on his length to be effective.

Fitting in with the Celtics, he would be a fantastic addition. Irving is not the greatest defender, so if anyone were to get by him, he and the rest of the team can be happy knowing Bamba has a good chance of blocking the ball. The Celtics are already great on defense, adding him would make them almost unbeatable. Other than his offense being a little raw, Boston can rest easy knowing that he will be a star.