Orlando Magic Player Comparisons: Preparing for free agency

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Mohamed Bamba is among the young players who are trying to make their mark for the Orlando Magic. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports /

Orlando Magic Player Comparisons

Mohamed Bamba

FiveThirtyEight: Jordan Hill, Robin Lopez, Thon Maker

If Wendell Carter is a mystery then Mohamed Bamba might be Sherlock Holmes’ greatest case to solve.

The Magic, after all, took Bamba over Carter in the 2018 NBA Draft and nobody batted an eye on it. Since that draft, Bamba has dealt with injury after injury and false starts whenever he seemed to get going and get comfortable. Then he got caught behind a suddenly emerging All-Star on a team whose goals changed.

Bamba undoubtedly was a project when the team drafted him. And they quickly ran out of patience or time to develop such a young player as their goals changed.

Bamba got trapped in a bad situation very quickly. Then lost his availability to make the most of the chances he did get in that environment.

Bamba certainly needed to play better. But there were a lot of conditions that were beyond his control.

What became clear was that after the trade deadline when Bamba had a bit more freedom to make mistakes and less pressure to play, he played a lot better.

Bamba averaged 8.0 points per game, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. After the trade deadline, Bamba’s averages jumped to 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. This really marked Bamba’s first pressure-free playing time and he showed exactly why every team saw potential in him on draft night.

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That does not mean that Bamba was perfect. He still has a long way to go and looks like a player who is still getting up to NBA speed. There is a huge experience gap Bamba has to make up. His injury issues — first a fracture to his shinbone and then a long-haul battle with COVID symptoms — have slowed him down in that department and lingered with him.

Everyone understands this is Bamba’s big chance this coming year –whether he carves a starting role or a bench role. But there remains pressure because of the presence of veteran Robin Lopez.

There will be undoubtedly injuries that will keep all three players in the rotation to varying degrees throughout the season.

Right now, it is tough to figure out who Bamba actually is. But his statistics suggest he will remain a fringe bench player with the potential of being an impactor on defense.

That is what he was drafted for to begin with. That is where he should be focused most as he enters this final year of his contract. It will be what keeps him in the NBA.

FiveThirtyEight’s player comparison tool matches him with Jordan Hill, Robin Lopez and Thon Maker. Each tells a story about the kind of player Bamba can become.

Hill was an energy center off the bench who had a brief flash with the right team but who largely disappeared from a consistent role quickly.

Bamba does not play with the same energy that Hill has — a constant criticism of Bamba — but he can be an impactor defensively just by his presence.

Lopez, whom the Magic signed this offseason, has gone through several iterations but has always been a solid defender and energy player despite his size and lack of speed. Lopez has created a long career as a backup center.

If Bamba can learn anything from Lopez, then Bamba will hang around a little while.

And Thon Maker, a draft pick by Orlando Magic general manager John Hammond when he was with the Milwuakee Bucks, was an all-potential oversized shooting center who just could not stay on the floor or carve a role.

Maker has turned into a cautionary tale for Bamba and drafting tantalizing stretch-5s with questionable mobility.

Casting Bamba as Lopez for his ceiling feels exceptionally low considering he was the sixth pick in the Draft in 2018. But at this point, the Magic need to get something out of him.

That really means anything just so they can begin to plan what their center position looks like as their rebuild starts.

Next. Jonathan Isaac will get his chance to shine. dark

We will be back with the final part of our player comparison series with a look at this year’s sophomore players. You can read part one on the Magic’s young veterans and part two on the Magic’s rookies here.