Mohamed Bamba needs to have a bigger role with Orlando Magic next season

Mohamed Bamba’s growth for the Orlando Magic has been slow but steady. A bigger role would be tough the rest of this season, he has shown growth for more.

With Nikola Vucevic on the roster, Mohamed Bamba has played a small role with the Orlando Magic, playing limited minutes off the bench. This is to be expected since Nikola Vucevic has been the best player on the team for the past few years.

The Magic drafted Mohamed Bamba knowing the 7-foot center was something of a project. Physically, he needed to add muscle to go along with his record 7-foot-10 wingspan. He showed natural shot-blocking ability but getting an understanding of the complexities of NBA defenses and the physicality of playing the paint was going to be a process.

Bamba’s fractured tibia 50-plus games into his rookie season only slowed that process. Bamba had to sit and watch during the Magic’s playoff run. And that kind of injury takes at least a year to fully recover, even if you can play on it in the meantime.

A setback during Summer League when he experienced some soreness in his leg further slowed things down. He did not get the full reps he might have otherwise gotten during Summer League. And his offseason program after his rookie year was spent recovering at least to some degree.

But sooner or later, the Magic are going to have to find out what they have in Bamba. At some point, the team is going to have to see what he can contribute in an expanded role.

The Magic’s approach as they compete for a playoff spot is to have young players earn their time. They need to be able to contribute and help the team win. And that is, of course, tougher for Bamba with the Magic’s All-Star in Vucevic ahead of him on the depth chart.

Bamba has had to wait. But that approach has to have some flexibility. Bamba is earning his time.

With Bamba’s play heading into the league’s hiatus, the route the organization decides to take with him is going to be an interesting one.

The signs have always seemingly been subtle with Bamba. But there are clear signs he has made progress. In such a way that he is contributing within his role for the Magic. And in a way that shows he could be ready for more.

Since the All-Star Break, Bamba has averaged 5.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in only 12.1 minutes per game. He has also averaged 1.3 blocks per game and the Magic are a +8.5 points per game while he is on the court.

Offensively, Bamba has started hitting his shots after struggling early in the season. He was making 46.7 percent of his shots, including 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. His 3-point shooting right now is his biggest way to contribute offensively as he continues to add bulk to work the inside more.

The Magic have a 111.8 defensive rating with Bamba on the floor since the All-Star Break. That is not a great number, but it is the second-best mark among rotation players for the team (behind only Wesley Iwundu). Bamba has not been able to turn the Magic’s defense back into a juggernaut, but they have performed better than their average in those 10 games with Bamba on the floor.

Bamba has looked more confident on the defensive end as his positioning was starting to improve. He was putting it together defensively, which allows for the Magic defense to play aggressively knowing there will be a rim protector if they get beat.

Since the Magic drafted Bamba for the potential he has defensively, his recent play is a positive look. But he is not playing enough to know whether or not he can play at his recent level.

The Magic have seen Bamba play a lot better and make a clearer impact. But as the team approached the postseason and tightened its rotation, it has squeezed Bamba’s development some.

When the Magic drafted Mohamed Bamba, there was excitement for the trio of Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Bamba on the defensive end. But even when all three players have been healthy, it is a rare occasion to see those three together.

This season, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Mohamed Bamba have played a combined six minutes together this season across two games. Hardly enough time to draw conclusions about their effectiveness on the court at the same time.

Last year, the trio played just 23 minutes together. If this is the Magic’s future, they have not seen or used that group together for virtually any period of significance.

Once the season continues, Bamba likely will not receive any extra minutes because Vucevic is still the better player. When the season resumes, it will be playoff time and rotations are likely to draw even tighter.

But after that point, the Magic are going to have to decide to give Bamba more time to see what the team looks like when he has more responsibility. He has earned more opportunities to do so for sure. And the next logical step of his progression is to get more opportunity to play and contribute.

This does not mean the Magic need to trade Vucevic away. He is still a good player for this team, and it would not make sense to suddenly give Bamba 36 minutes per night.

Orlando should go the route of Bamba and Vucevic splitting minutes as the torch starts to get passed. The Magic need to be willing to test Bamba and see just how far he has come.

While Vucevic is the better player and should continue to have a big role on this team, the team should also have an eye on the future, and Bamba is that future.