Mo Bamba, Orlando’s Hidden Unicorn?
Entering the draft with the longest-recorded wingspan in NBA history (7'9"), until Tacko Fall reset the record a year later with an 8'2" measurement, Mo Bamba snuck his way into the association. Bamba has been racking up blocks and boards since he entered the league; and, this year, he’s hitting his triples. Over his last forty five games, Mo is shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc on 1.7 3PA per game. Towering seven feet tall with a +9" height/wingspan ratio has its advantages; among players with over 300 minutes played, Mo is T-25th in the league in REB% at 18.3%. On the year, Mo is leading the NBA in block percentage (9%) and is T-11th in total blocks (85). For his critics, it’s too late to cut the green wire; the Bamba has detonated.
Mo Bamba’s short career has seen shaky sequences, but when Bamba was called upon this year to fill a real role in the rotation, he proved he can hang. In Mo Bamba’s rookie season, Mo’s injury gave the Magic a clear pecking order at center, making way for Khem Birch to hone the role of the backup big. Some attribute this outcome to Orlando’s late-season playoff-push; while settling on a rotation of high-IQ defenders helped Orlando win regular season games in February and March, I would also point to the Magic’s unusual luck with injuries and being on the better end of schedule losses for other teams, in addition to Jonathan Isaac’s distinct development from downtown during the final ~30 games of the season.
Bamba’s second season started slow; since seeing his playing time and opportunity increase just ten games into the year, however, Mo has shown flashes of his modern skill-set. Here’s a box score breakdown of Mo Bamba’s first ten games compared to the forty-nine games that have happened since:
first 10 games: (13.1 MPG)
shooting 35–26–25 on 1.7 3PA
per-36: 11p-11.3r-2.5b (0.32 a/to)
box score: 4p-4.1r-0.9b
49 games since: (14.8 MPG)
shooting 49–37–73 on 1.7 3PA
per-36: 14.3p-12.5r-3.8b (1.06 a/to)
box score: 5.9p-5.1r-1.6b
Bamba can handle the traditional roles of rim-rolling, rebounding, and protecting the rim, while fulfilling contemporary ideals like switching onto quicker wings using footwork and wingspan, rolling and popping off picks, and spacing the floor as a catch-and-shoot threat. If you put him in a situation where he needs to post-up other brutes to score, or where he has to make multiple reads, he won’t be as efficient or impactful; keep Bamba in the roles of finisher and rim-protector to maximize Mo’s talent.
Film and Stats
Defensive Box Score Splits
(via bball ref)
college freshman: 8.9 DBPM
3.7bpg | 13.1% BLK%
10.5rpg | 20.2% REB%
NBA rookie: 1.4 DBPM
1.4bpg | 7% BLK%
5rpg | 16.3% REB%
NBA sophomore: 1.7 DBPM
1.4bpg | 9% BLK%
5rpg | 18.3% REB%
Mo Bamba has six games with 4+ BLKs this season:
Mo Bamba’s blocked notable foes this season, featuring names like…
LeBron James!
Pascal Siakam:
John Collins:
Deandre Ayton:
and Derrick Rose:
Defensive Impact
(impact metrics and player grades via The BBall Index; as of 3/8/20)
Mo Bamba holds the 16th-best Defensive PIPM mark (+2.40) in the NBA; Mo’s entrenched a lead in D-PIPM among players The BBall Index classifies as “pick-and-pop bigs” under 23 years old:
Potential Unicorns?
Mo Bamba has a PIPM of +0.7, with Players Grades of:
Interior Defense: A
Perimeter Shooting C+
in comparison, draft-classmate and fellow wannabe unicorn Jaren Jackson Jr. has a PIPM of +0.23, with Player Grades of:
Interior Defense: A-
Perimeter Shooting: A
Below is a data visualization comparing players who meet or surpass The BBall Index’s Player Grades of A- Interior Defense and C+ Perimeter Shooting; notice the company is shared mostly by fours and fives with the ability to protect the rim and drill open outside jumpers, including The Unicorn himself, Kristaps Porzingis, along with other modern big men like Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Brook Lopez, Pascal Siakam, Jonathan Isaac, Marc Gasol, Al Horford, Paul Milsap, and Myles Turner:
Looking at these data visualizations, maybe the more realistic hope for Mo is carving out a role like Myles Turner, a big constantly near the top of the league in blocks who begrudgingly shoots open threes at near-40% on low volume. The difference here, though, is that Bamba seems to *want* to shoot the rock; he isn’t as hesitant as Turner. This discrepancy should give Magic fans hope that Bamba’s efficient shooting of late can sustain its efficiency with an increase in volume; perhaps Mo Bamba will not only compete for block titles, but become a true two-way D&3 threat. Bamba’s shooting touch was the ball-skill that scouts liked most about Mo; even if it didn’t impress in percentage, the good form of a jumper for someone of his length quickly became evident. Mo Bamba is one of twenty-one players with 50+ BLKs and 30+ 3PM on the season; if this trend continues, there might be hope for Bamba to join the short-list of NBA Unicorns just yet.
Shooting Splits
(via bball ref)
Mo Bamba’s development downtown by 3P% | 3PAr
college: 14/51 (28% 3P%) | .189 3PAr
rookie: 21/70 (30% 3P%) | .288 3PAr
sophomore: 36/102 (35% 3P%) | .367 3PAr
over his first 14 games: 25% 3P% on 1.7 3PA
over his last 45 games: 38.5% 3P% on 1.7 3PA
100/102 of Bamba’s three-point attempts have been in catch-and-shoot opportunities this season; he’s made 36% of his shots in those situations.
The Bamba detonated against the Cavs, where Mo drilled a career-high five three-pointers:
showing promise from outside throughout the year:
Mo Bamba’s ON/OFF Splits
(via pbpstats.com, as of 3/8/20)
The Magic are better with Mo Bamba ON the floor, and worse with him OFF.
with Mo Bamba ON the court, The Orlando Magic have a +2.06 Net RTG in 855 MIN (106.4 D-RTG)
with Mo Bamba OFF the court, The Orlando Magic have a -2.13 Net RTG in 2222 MIN (110.8 D-RTG)
Bamba is best-suited for a specific pick-and-pop role; as long as he focuses on protecting the rim, collecting rebounds, rim-rolling, and knocking down catch-and-shoot threes, the best aspects of Mo’s game will shine through. The answer to whether or not Mo will develop into a unicorn depends on the role he’s asked to play; for now we’ll have to settle for an answer of “wait and see”; in the mean time… Feed Bamba. Free Bamba. Mo’ Bamba!
