Orlando Magic: Grading Mohamed Bamba’s incomplete 2018-19

Strengths

We didn’t see enough of Mohamed Bamba to say for certain what his strengths can be, as the 47 games he played (starting only one) was a small sample size. So we must still look towards his potential to see where he will he an asset to the Orlando Magic in the future.

He showed a great understanding with Isaac during the 2018 Summer League (which isn’t really a place to gauge talent on a serious level at all).

But looking like he could play long-term with Isaac both then and during the regular season in the limited time they spent on the court at the same time is a plus for Bamba’s future. As mentioned already, this rebuild sped up without Bamba, so it is now on him to show that he can play a positive part in their future. His own defensive numbers however we will return to later.

Alongside Isaac though they look like an interchangeable tandem which will be a nightmare for opponents to score against. Offensively Bamba was a non-factor, averaging only 6.2 points per game.

But as the season progressed he showed that he was becoming more comfortable shooting 3-pointers and this was at its most evident during an overtime loss vs the Denver Nuggets in early December, when he hit all three shots he took.

If Bamba can stretch the court and prove to be something of a new-age center with how he drags opposition bigs out of the paint with his shooting ability, then he will quickly turn into one of the key players on the team. Even shooting at a 33 percent clip next season would represent improvement on the 30 percent of last year and make opponents at least think.

This is what we saw small amounts of from Bamba during his rookie season. If he can fill that start out to be the difference maker he’s supposed to be defensively and chip in offensively, then he will enter most improved player conversations before long.