Orlando Magic’s playoff appearance changed plans for Mohamed Bamba

The Orlando Magic pushed the reset button on Nikola Vucevic after Mohamed Bamba’s season-ending stress fracture in his left tibia, a move that may pay off in the long run.

The Orlando Magic made Nikola Vucevic a priority in free agency this summer.

It was a smart move by an organization lacking an All-Star-caliber player since Dwight Howard left Central Florida seven years ago.

Last year, the 7-foot, 28-year-old center averaged career highs all around the board — points (20.8), rebounds (12.0) and assists per game (3.8) — placing himself into the conversation of the most talented offensive centers in the NBA. And earning an All-Star Game appearance to boot.

Make no mistake, the Magic desperately needed every point, rebound and assist from Nikola Vucevic to help end a streak of six consecutive seasons without a Playoff berth.  Now the organization looks to build on its success and continue marching forward in an Eastern Conference still going through seismic shifts and an uncertain list of contenders.

Vucevic has been productive and arguably the best player on the Magic’s roster for his entire tenure. His breakthrough 2019 season begged a bigger question though. One the Magic perhaps did not foresee.

Why would the organization draft a center with their first pick in 2018?

Vucevic becoming an All-Star and a successful centerpiece to the offense was certainly unforeseen. The Magic may have become victims of their own success.

And the decision to bring back Vucevic might have been both a product of the team’s winning and the team facing the reality that Mohamed Bamba is not only a raw prospect but one coming back from an injury that cut his rookie year short.

From one way of looking at things, one would think Vucevic is a high-level insurance policy for a vehicle that has not been driven.

Mohamed Bamba played in 47 games in 2019 and averaged 6.2 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, pretty meager for the sixth overall pick.

But this was his first year and a season that was cut short because of a stress fracture in his left tibia. Who knows what or who this guy could have been his rookie year if he was not injured? Or how far he would have progressed if he had played those final 31 games.

It would certainly have created a different outlook for this season and the expectations for Bamba. Instead, it feels like Bamba will get a second rookie-style season. One where he will have to fight Khem Birch for minutes in the rotation again.

Although the Magic selected Bamba high in the draft, they did not need him to come in and save the franchise. The Magic drafted him as a project and they knew they had a talented center still on the roster in Vucevic.

Orlando was willing to be patient and let him develop behind the veteran big man.

This is the perfect scenario for Bamba, who clearly was not a polished project in his rookie year. He needs someone who is skilled offensively to show him the ropes.

Vucevic took to that role and welcomed the young big, taking him under his wing. Bamba too was appreciative of Vucevic’s tutelage in his rookie year. He is eager to keep working with him, as he told Josh Robbins of the Athletic at the beginning of Summer League.

The partnership is a happy one. But it is not hard to see the writing on the wall still.

The Magic drafted Bamba to ascend to the starting lineup at some point. That plan almost certainly has not changed — although the Magic do not seem ready to force it into existence.

Vucevic carried the Magic into the Playoffs last year. But he struggled to duplicate his stellar rebular season play against the eventual-champion Toronto Raptors. They forced the ball out of his hands multiple times in the series.

Vucevic led the team in scoring during the regular season. But he was fifth in scoring in the Playoffs behind Aaron Gordon, Terrence Ross, D.J. Augustin and Evan Fournier. Something most fans in Central Florida did not expect.

Expectations in Orlando are now higher. And the Magic will rely on Bamba to step up and continue taking strides. Their plan is certainly not done.

But he will have to earn everything.

Whatever the plan may have been, the Magic decided to hit the reset button on their roster. They were not going to turn back on their success in 2019 or put their faith in an unproven rookie. Bamba will have to wait his turn.

Orlando Magic

This does raise plenty of questions.

Would the Magic have re-signed Vucevic if Bamba stayed healthy and played well enough to be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year? What if Bamba was able to play in the Playoff and looked considerably better than Vucevic athletically and defensively, would the have resigned Vucevic?

Would the Magic have stayed on this course if the team had missed the playoffs?

These questions will never be answered. Most of all because the Magic did make the playoffs and Bamba showed he was much more of a project than others might have thought. He is not ready to start today.

But at least for now, the organization has a proven All-Star player their future center can learn from. They also have a good situation going forward in 2020 because the center position is filled and can rival most team’s two centers.

It is a good thing for both parties involved.

On one hand, Bamba can get all the extra rehab time without the pressure to come back from injury like Kevin Durant or DeMarcus Cousins. He will get the chance to learn from a veteran center and work with the Magic’s coaching staff, earning his minutes and his role with each step.

On the other hand, Vucevic can still be the scoring leader this team desperately needs. And the team will not simply hand minutes to Bamba. HIs development will have to occur behind the scenes perhaps more than in the public’s eye.

Orlando is not losing its investment in Bamba even if he has to fight for his opportunity in games.