Orlando Magic: 5 reasons Mohamed Bamba was a good pick
By Luke Duffy
1. Defensive potential
We touched on this in the previous slide, but the defensive potential of Bamba on this roster is scary. Last season, the Magic had a defensive rating of 107.7, good for 20th in the league. In truth, this figure was helped by the emergence of Birch at the turn of the year.
With Bamba, Isaac and Gordon playing together, there is no question the Magic can be a top 10 outfit in this category was soon as this coming season.
If this partnership works out like it should, they could even creep into the top five over time. The addition of Clifford cannot be understated here either. He is the kind of no-frills coach that will preach the fundamentals, and this should suit the trio of big men extremely well.
Add in Jonathon Simmons, who had a poor first season with the team but who also has defensive chops, and the situation looks even better.
Given Gordon’s big strides offensively last season, and Isaac and Bamba’s perceived ability to shoot from distance, there’s no reason to think their offense will be awful either.
There are some similarities now to the Magic’s roster and that of the Milwaukee Bucks, with long athletes popping up in all positions who can switch defensively without giving up any size. This should come as no surprise, because Magic general manager John Hammond was once the GM of the Bucks.
Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams
Adding Mo Bamba shows that the Orlando Magic have a clear plan on how to build their roster, and it begins defensively. This was a great get for the team with its lottery pick this year.