Mohamed Bamba, Orlando Magic draft picks ready to build team’s future

The Orlando Magic selected Mohamed Bamba with the sixth overall pick, making him the centerpiece of the team’s continuing rebuild.

When the college basketball season ended, Mohamed Bamba went back to the gym.

A likely top pick in the Draft, this was no time to rest on his laurels. The spindly, 7-foot big with the massive wingspan had made his name on that length alone, blocking shots and being a defensive terror with the Texas Longhorns.

That is what got him drafted. What will make him stick is part of what he worked on in those hours after the season ended.

The hundreds if not thousands of jumpers he put up under the watchful eye of trainer Drew Hanlen, hoping to expand his range and improve his perimeter game, were all done with an eye on making an impact for his new team.

Because that is truly what the Orlando Magic need. It might be unfair to ask Bamba to be that savior. But that is where this team is at — in need of a player to forge an identity.

Ready or not, Bamba is now the centerpiece of a budding young defensive team.

"“Just who I am as a competitor,” Bamba said. “Obviously, I’m not going to sit here and say things are going to change overnight. It takes more than just one person. I truly believe my teammates around me we have the right people to make the organization successful.”"

Orlando continued to double down on its defense selecting the lengthy and rangy Melvin Frazier of the Tulane Green Wave in the second round and adding another long player in Justin Jackson of the Maryland Terrapins.

But no player can set the tone and direction of this team quite like Bamba. That is the weight of getting selected with such a valuable pick in a Draft as heralded as this one.

And when you get a look at his physical tools and his complete package, it is something that would seemingly make that kind of impact. His shot-blocking prowess and defensive ability alone could set the tone for a rebuilt Magic culture.

It is this that has the Magic excited. And had them surprised Bamba fell to them at six.

The trade between the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks opened that door to a player they did not expect would be available.

Bamba is a player the Magic hope can change the team with his presence.

"“We think Mo has the potential to be one of the elite defenders in the league,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “Obviously he is going to have to work hard to get there and it will take some time. He’s already in his short time playing in college proven to be an elite-level shot blocker. He’s got good feet, he’s a smart player. We don’t just draft a player, we draft a person. He ‘s a unique individual who happens to be a unique basketball player as well.”"

The challenge of rebuilding the Magic is a big one. It has been a big one ever since the team traded Dwight Howard. And it has only gotten harder with each misstep along the way. Orlando has desperately looked for an impact player.

Bamba quite clearly has that potential. It was the same impact he clearly made at Texas even with meager statistics. He made his team better.

But to become that player and stay on that development curve and growth curve, Bamba will have to adjust to a new NBA. He has to have the desire to make it.

The league is changing and requiring centers to do a bit more. It is challenging bigs like Bamba to step out on the perimeter on both ends of the floor. They must be able to switch onto guards and defend them capably as much as they protect the rim. Stretch-5s are in vogue.

Bamba is working to change his game in that way. He knew he would have to if he was to make it in the league. It is this drive that could carry him through the NBA and make him a true star.

"“To me, pre-Draft was all about just finding a way to make yourself better each day,” Bamba said. “I was able to develop at the rate and develop the things that I wanted. Actually, there was no time in my life like pre-draft because of how professional I have become in everything that I have done.”"

Bamba constantly described himself as a competitor. He said that is what differentiated himself from other top prospects in the Draft.

Maybe that is going a bit far. But it is that willingness to work and that drive that will make him successful as a centerpiece to the franchise.

It was Bamba who went back into the gym after the season ended knowing he would have to improve his strength and his jumper to stay on the court. The league is truly about who you can defend and for centers, it is increasingly about having the versatility to move away from the paint.

Bamba believes he has that versatility and the ability to set a defensive presence from anywhere on the floor.

"“The sky is the limit,” Weltman said. “I think he has already shown that he has the potential to be an elite defender. From a scouting perspective, when you watch Mo play, you look at his feet, his hands, his frame, his anticipation and you kind of start to think of the things he could become.”"

And it is truly that unique character that attracted the Magic to him. It is those abilities that helped differentiate himself from the crowded field and make him “the guy.”

No one is sure exactly how Bamba will fit into this new role. Once again, it seems, the team has put its eggs and its identity on defense in a league that is consistently overwhelmed with offenses.

That is also the hand the team was dealt. Desperate for a difference maker, the one left to them was Bamba. He fit the overall philosophical profile this management group likes to build around.

Next: 2018 NBA Draft Preview: Who is Mohamed Bamba?

Now the question remains whether he is up to the challenge of taking that mantle.