Orlando Magic: 5 reasons Mohamed Bamba was a good pick
By Luke Duffy
3. Modern big man
While Bamba has all the tools to be a monster defensively, it is his less talked about offensive game that could end up being the key to him one day being a star on this team.
Although Bamba only shot 27.5 percent from deep in college, there was a renewed commitment on his part to continue getting better in this area as the draft approached.
Even if Bamba could up that average next season to a still poor 33 percent, it would put him in the same bracket as players like Gordon (33.6 percent) and Mario Hezonja (33.7 percent) managed last season.
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Gordon led the league in 3-point shooting to start last year, and while he tailed off big time, having a center who can at least make that shot semi-consistently would be huge.
So if Bamba can protect the rim while also being capable of hitting some 3-point shots, that would be like having the best aspects of Biyombo and Vucevic in one player. He’d come at a fraction of the cost too.
In his rookie season, Bamba’s shooting won’t be why he is on the court, but it would be a nice boost for the team to see him knock down shots from the deep.
It is the way the league is going that everybody shoots 3-pointers, and to see the Magic acquire a team who fits more comfortably into the era of basketball is encouraging.