5 Biggest Questions for the Orlando Magic Heading this Offseason

What does the future look like for Mohamed Bamba?

When the Orlando Magic got Wendell Carter in the Nikola Vucevic trade, Mohamed Bamba’s status with the team was put on notice.

In only 22 games with the team, Carter started 19 times. Bamba was only able to amass five starts the entire season.

The 23-year-old has a long history of injuries. Even if his injuries were a case of bad luck, he will have to put in a lot of work this offseason before his time in Orlando is in jeopardy.

He got a real chance to prove himself at the end of season and the results were encouraging. In the last 12 games, Bamba averaged 24.6 minutes and got all of his five starts.  He saw the court for only 12.6 minutes per game in all of the contests prior.

During that late stretch, he averaged 11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.  Those are all career highs for him. There were times during the season where he looked like a reliable shooter from the outside but he ended his 2021 campaign shooting just 26-percent from 3 point range.

Carter averaged 11.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks with the Orlando Magic this season meaning neither of them have an inherent advantage over the other.

The starting center position will likely be up for grabs this offseason meaning the two former lottery picks each have a chance depending on how hard they work.

With Bamba set for his first fully healthy summer, there will be a chance to make gains and build upon them after his physical gains were cut short by his COVID diagnosis in June and the subsequent after-effects that kept him from building his conditioning.

More than that, Bamba has to show a better understanding and execution of the team’s defensive game plan to make his mark on the team.