Orlando Magic Training Camp: 5 position battles to watch

Orlando Magic Training Camp Battles

Backup Center

The Orlando Magic’s biggest positional mystery is at backup center. There may not be a more high-stakes battle to occur in training camp either.

Mohamed Bamba just does not have a lot of runway here. He has to establish his spot quickly and start from a strong place so he can grow and earn his place in the league. Bamba is facing a contract year and this is really a last chance for him to make a mark with the Magic. Otherwise, he could get turned over to free agency without much fanfare.

Bamba still has a ton of potential and ability. After the trade deadline last year, his averages jumped to 11.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. That is a product of playing a lot more and getting more consistent time on the floor.

There is still a ton of work for Bamba to do.

Nobody though needed a fresh start more than Bamba. He just became a victim of the Magic’s sudden improvement and his own injury issues. Bamba just has had several false starts and was never able to gain traction. With the team competing for a playoff spot, coach Steve Clifford did not have the time to develop him. If Bamba could not give him something to help the team win, he was going to look elsewhere.

This was all unfair to Bamba, of course. He had so many issues preventing him from improving in the offseason. and the season only buries players who get behind and cannot catch up. He needed the breath of fresh air to restart and the new roster and rebuilding posture gives that to him.

Still, time has run out. The Magic have to make a contract decision on him. And he has not produced enough to gain any assurances he will be part of this team’s future.

The Magic should pencil in Bamba as the backup center right now. That would seemingly be the right thing to do with such a young team and with the stakes Bamba has facing him this season.

But Orlando signed a capable player in Robin Lopez.

Lopez said he is going to be a good veteran leader and teacher for the Magic’s young bigs. But he also did not shy away from saying he expects to compete for playing time. And if the Magic are building a positive culture, the better player is always going to play — regardless of their status with the team.

The Magic are going to be making a pretty key decision about their rotation early in the season. Bamba and Lopez should not feel like they are facing off against each other, but they certainly are.