Orlando Magic see Mohamed Bamba’s steady progress

The Orlando Magic have stayed really patient with Mohamed Bamba and his development. In Wednesday’s win they saw plenty of fruits of his labor.

It was really hard for Mohamed Bamba to suppress a smile following the Orlando Magic’s 116-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The whole organization was probably grinning ear to ear with his impact in this game.

In the fourth quarter, Mohamed Bamba hit multiple 3-pointers off dribble penetration from D.J. Augustin and Markelle Fultz, helping keep the Cavaliers at bay. Then there were the two blocks that displayed exactly the length and presence the Magic wanted to see.

For one of those blocks, Kevin Porter Jr. tried to go toward the rim for a dunk and Mohamed Bamba met him at the rim to block the shot. Never mind that Tristan Thompson cleaned up the miss.

Bamba was clearly disappointed with that part of the play. This would have been the kind of discouraging moment that would compound for him earlier in the season.

But unlike previous games, he did not let it get him down. He kept playing and got to the next play and got to the next moment. That has been a major mindset change for him since injuries hit the team and the Magic have had to blow past their minutes restriction for him.

It was the kind of tough love the second-year player needed to take his work off the court into games.

Now there are plenty of signs of his steady progress.

He still has a long way to go. But after a rough start to the season, there is finally a reason to smile.

The work that might have been subtle and behind the scenes had finally made its way to the court. And that was a reason for everyone to be happy for him.

Bamba finished Wednesday with a career-high-tying 15 points, hitting on all five of his 3-pointers. He said after the game that he and coach Steve Clifford talked about using his pop game more rather than crashing through the lane, where he still has physical limitations.

Clifford has long believed in Bamba’s shot, even though Bamba is shooting only 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. His offensive game has been pretty much non-existent to this point of the season. But the faith is there and Bamba’s offense might be ahead of his defense as far as his impact.

Still, it was something everyone needed to piece together. He needed time to grow and develop on the court.

The two have continued having discussions and watching film together to help the young player improve. Film study with the coach was a big part of his education process while he was hurt at the end of last year.

The results have not always shown themselves on the court. But the Magic have kept the faith.

In addition to that 25.0 percent 3-point shooting, Bamba is averaging only 4.3 points per game on a 39.7 percent effective field goal percentage.

Bamba has maintained his rebounding (4.9 rebounds per game) and blocks (1.3 blocks per game) from last year. He still creates solid defensive numbers — his 3.4 defensive box plus-minus is in line with last year and the team has a team-best 99.2 defensive rating with Bamba on the floor.

But aesthetically Bamba’s game has been frustrating. Even defensively, his positioning might have been slightly better, but teams were still attacking him and looking to challenge him. It was easy to see Bamba getting discouraged some on the court.

Heading into this road trip, he was getting his share of criticism. It was hard to justify his play and he was still getting physically beaten in the paint. It was hard to deliver him the ball near the basket or for him to fight successfully for rebounds, even with better positioning.

Clifford, to his credit, defended Bamba vehemently. He said the criticisms were off base and that the team was seeing improvement from Bamba. It took a trained eye to understand that the second-year player had a better understanding of the game.

That part seemed true.

His positioning on the initial play was a lot better. Bamba was not chasing blocks in the same way a rookie might.

There was still seemingly a hesitation in his attack defensively especially. It looked like he was still processing the play. Teams could take advantage of that moment of indecision.

That was still present even in his breakout game Wednesday in Cleveland. But so too was Bamba’s ability to adjust and attack defensively.

Teams still want to attack him. His slight frame still makes it tough for him to battle for rebounds and he can still get pushed around.

With Bamba, positioning and being in the right spot will matter as much as his production. His improvement remains subtle and behind the scenes.

But it came to the front with the injury to Nikola Vucevic. The pressure for someone to pick up the slack for losing the team’s best player was great. It seemed to bring a sharper focus to Bamba and his game.

Again, it was not something completely reflected in his stats. Bamba scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds with two blocks in the game against the Indiana Pacers. He followed that up with six points, 12 rebounds and three blocks against the Detroit Pistons.

Included in that game against the Pistons was Bamba blocking a shot with hands on each side of the backboard before recovering to challenge the rebound and the putback that came with it.

Bamba still makes plays like that in most games. The plays where his physical attributes shine beyond anything else.

Orlando Magic

The potential is oozing out of him. And each game it seems like it is bursting to come out. It is these moments that give everyone hope.

But Bamba is still putting all the pieces together. Another five 3-pointer game is probably not around the corner. His next game he may show flashes in another area. Or he may revert back and struggle to get himself going.

That is the curse of youth and inconsistency.

Bamba’s production and statistical output are less important than his positioning and his understanding of his place on the court.

That part is slowly developing. In ways, perhaps, no one but a coach could measure. But it has come gradually and subtly.

Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers was the most obvious and clear sign of Bamba’s progress and impact. It was his most complete — and probably best — game of his season. A good sign coming off a really solid game against the Pistons on Monday.

Bamba’s progress will remain quieter and behind the scenes. It was good to see it come out from the shadows.

And that is enough to draw a smile from anyone.