When the Magic signed Brandon Bass during the offseason, it was to add a new dimension to the team. Bass was the muscle Orlando sorely lacked against the big front line the the Los Angeles Lakers possessed and the potentially brutish front line Boston could have with Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins.
Bass was the kind of old-style power forward that would allow the Magic to play any style to take advantage of their opponents weaknesses or to throw off an unsuspecting team.
But we are about a quarter into the season and it is still unclear where Brandon Bass fits on this Orlando Magic roster. His simple ability to put the ball in the basket — especially in the preseason, when he averaged 12.7 points per game and did not score less than 10 points in a game — had Magic fans excited about the possibilities Bass could provide. Looking at the raw numbers, he is averaging 8.9 points per game and 3.0 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game. But his defensive struggles and his inability to hit 3-pointers had Stan Van Gundy burying him on the bench upon Rashard Lewis’ return.
It has been a struggle for Bass, who has seen inconsistent playing time throughout the season — before Wednesday’s game he was averaging 5.7 minutes per game since Rashard Lewis’ return. Even with Rashard Lewis out for the first 10 games and Ryan Anderson out with injuries, Bass did not prove himself enough to crack the rotation consistently. As Zach pointed out a few days ago, Bass is part of one of Orlando’s worst five-man lineups, caused simply by removing Anderson and inserting Bass.
Bass did his part to prove he deserves playing time for the Magic with an impressive performance against the Knicks on Wednesday. Bass scored 17 points in 18 minutes on putbacks, post moves and his mid-range jumper. When the fourth quarter began with Dwight Howard on the bench, it was Bass on the floor in the fourth quarter instead of Marcin Gortat as Orlando continued to build its lead and easily defeat New York.
After not playing in four consecutive games and five of the previous seven, it appears Stan Van Gundy is becoming more willing to give Bass a try. He clearly prefers to have Ryan Anderson at power forward so he can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting ability. So it appears Bass will have to make his mark at center, where he played sparingly for Dallas last year but is undersized at 6-foot-8 to man the position for long (it was certainly something he could get away with against the undersized New York team).
Van Gundy said before Wednesday’s game he has seen strides in Brandon Bass’ defense. This is where Bass has needed to improve the most as the season has progressed and has possibly kept him from seeing more action. According to 82games.com, Bass is allowing a 52.3% eFG%. Teams are scoring relatively easily on him when he is on the floor. More alarmingly, Bass is only grabbing 11.6% of defensive rebounds, so he is not even securing misses and providing value in that area. Bass can certainly get on the boards, but he has not done so thus far. His defensive efficiency when playing at power forward is a gaudy 103.2.
Obviously with Bass, though, numbers do not tell the whole story. If they did, his offensive potential and outputs (in the burst that he has played) would find him some way on the floor.
Bass does have a place on this team. He was definitely brought in with the bigger, more physical teams in mind. And with Howard struggling with fouls early in this season, Bass’ mid-range jumper and offensive skills could stem the tide if Howard has to go to the bench with fouls. But I know no one wants to wait until the last moment to know what they have in Bass.
Where Bass ultimately fits in depends entirely on how he continues to develop defensively. Stan Van Gundy stresses defense first and that is how anyone can gain or lose playing time on this team. The center position appears up for grabs with Marcin Gortat struggling and Bass maybe inching his way into Gortat’s — sparse — minutes.
Now that Gortat has voiced frustration over his playing time, Bass could be angling more playing time at the center if Gortat continues to struggle to produce and provide the energy that made him a fan favorite. There is definitely a niche for Bass to make for himself there.
Bass will remain a curiosity for a Magic team that values something more from its power forwards than a brutish protector. His potential and promise will always be tantalizing. But until Orlando finds the perfect use for him, he might just remain the odd man out.