Mohamed Bamba set to make return to court at NBA Summer League

Mohamed Bamba is set to make his return to the court at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas next week. The Magic will have several other prospects to look at.

During Summer League last year, Mohamed Bamba made his mark on the court.

The still slender big man used his length to impress scouts, teaming up with Jonathan Isaac to close down the paint and give the Orlando Magic an exciting frontcourt that dominated defensively. It was an impressive start for Mohamed Bamba.

Everyone knew there was still a long way for him to go. Summer League was a flash of what he would become down the road — a shot-blocking menace with mobility and an increasing range to the 3-point line.

His rookie season also proved to be a series of flashes of what he could become. It was a blur for Bamba and he had a lot of growing still to do. At times he looked overwhelmed but he was slowly making progress and getting better on the floor.

Overall, Bamba averaged 6.2 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game. His on/off-court numbers were not good, but the team needed to give him what time they could to gain experience and improve.

He was making progress but then that progress stopped suddenly when he was shut down for the season with a fracture in his left tibia in January. Bamba was working his way back behind the scenes, studying the league with coaches and staying engaged with the team that way.

He also hit the gym — which is pretty evident in recent pictures of him.

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Bamba will be headed back to the court though in July. Ultimately that is where everything matters. Both fans and the team will be excited to see him back on the floor.

Bamba will headline the Magic’s Summer League team that will tip off July 5 in Las Vegas. Without first-round pick Chuma Okeke, Mohamed Bamba is the only surefire roster player on the Summer League team.

There are a few familiar names, including two-way contract player Amile Jefferson getting a second run with the Magic. He will be joined by several Lakeland Magic teammates in John Petrucelli, Braian Angola-Rodas (who also played Summer League with the Magic last year), Gabe York and Jeremiah Hill.

York has been on the Magic’s radar for several years. He played for the Erie BayHawks back when they were the Orlando Magic’s affiliate. The team brought him to Lakeland last year where he averaged 16.4 points per game and shot 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. He is a skilled shooter who will get another shot on a NBA Summer League roster.

Petrucelli too had a strong year for Lakeland, averaging 12.1 points per game and hitting on 44.2 percent of his 3-pointers. Angola-Rodas too put in a strong season, averaging 9.8 points per game. He recently won the MVP for the Belgian league after his G-League stint concluded.

The Magic will have plenty of local flavor on the roster too.

UCF Knights B.J. Taylor and Chad Brown will get their shot at the NBA with the Orlando Magic Summer League team. For Taylor, it is certainly special. Taylor grew up in Orlando, playing at Boone High School before attending UCF.

Taylor is a bit undersized, even for a point guard, and struggled with efficiency as the Knights’ lead guard. He will have to prove he can be a better playmaker and distributor.

Brown is an energetic forward who did a lot of the dirty work for UCF in the last few years. He made up for the lack of mobility center Tacko Fall had. He could be an interesting glue player for a team and Summer League is a perfect venue for him to show out.

The Magic will have plenty of other players to watch to.

DaQuan Jeffries of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane is considered one of the best player to go undrafted in this year’s draft. The Tulsa forward averaged 13.0 points per game last year on a solid 36.6 percent 3-point shooting.

The team also added a few interesting G-League players who could nab two-way contracts from the team.

There is, of course, Amile Jefferson, who averaged 18.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game last year to lead Lakeland in both categories.

Then there is Peter Jok. He previously worked out with the Magic during the pre-draft phase two years ago. He scored 14.3 points per game and shot 40.9 percent from the floor for the Northern Arizona Suns. That was a big improvement over his rookie season in the G-League. He seems to be growing into his game.

And center Tyler Davis also performed well in the G-League, averaging 17.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for the Oklahoma City Blue.

At the very least, the Magic have several intriguing players to examine and review during the Summer League games. There are definitely a fair share of intriguing players — including a few rookies they might like to add to the Lakeland roster.

But the focus for this Summer League will be on Bamba.

The team certainly wants to see him back on the court this July. That is a first step for him and the team moving forward. But then they want to see where he has improved — especially with his defensive awareness and strength.

For the Magic, Summer League’s main priority will be getting Bamba back into the fold and back up to speed on the court.