Orlando Magic’s two-big lineup starting to gel in a new way

When Mo Bamba gets home from games, he says he rewatches his games a few times.

The first is a run through just get the feel of the game again and playback initial thoughts from the outing. The second comes right before bed and might be a deeper dive into how the game went. The team will typically come together the next day for a more detailed film review.

This is life in the NBA, of course. A lot of learning has to be done on film with so little time to get in the gym for practice. Growth comes from understanding things and seeing them on film and then trying them on the court.

If there is a practice to fine-tune things, great. If it has to happen a bit during a game, that is the reality.

Young players often have the biggest struggle figuring these things out. Mo Bamba has had a whole season trying to find his place on the team — in a contract year, no less — playing alongside another big in Wendell Carter. Bamba has had his ups and downs, playing consistent minutes and a consistent role for the first time in his career.

Many considered the fit alongside Carter to be a bit of an awkward fit.

Carter has flourished though. The Magic have used him as a fulcrum offensively and relied on his screening. Bamba has sometimes struggled to find his place.

But the chemistry between the two has been growing. And as the Magic have started to settle into their offensive flow and identity, both players are starting to come into their own. Carter already started playing at a higher level and now Bamba is starting to follow.

Mo Bamba is starting to come into his own and find his space on the floor. He and Wendell Carter are starting to flourish for the Orlando Magic.

The latest outburst for Bamba came in Friday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bamba scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He made 10 of 15 shots and 5 of 8 3-pointers. Bamba’s scoring in the first half especially kept the team in the game when the offense was often struggling. He spotted up in the corner and the ball found its way to him, a sign the Magic were capable of making their comeback.

Then at the end of the game, it was Bamba making the big shots. Whether it was Jalen Suggs finding him in the corner for a big 3-pointer after Cole Anthony penetrated into the lane or when Wendell Carter got the ball at the free-throw line behind the Timberwolves’ press and then lobbed it to Bamba for a game-sealing dunk.

It was not the only time the Magic caught Bamba cutting along the baseline. He had his five threes, the fallback of his offensive skills at this point, but he also had three dunks and a tip-in layup during the course of the game.

"“That’s the great part about the experience of playing through these games and the young guys getting exposure to what the league is,” coach Jamahl Mosley said after Friday’s win. “Early on, teams were switching him. So finding where he can get a rhythm on the floor is part of it. Delle does a great job looking for him understanding the big-to-big pass. They look for one another and they are reading and reacting more off each other. That comes with the time of being on the floor together.”"

Bamba was a force defensively too, blocking a few shots and covering for the team behind a defense that was switching 1 through 5. Bamba’s ability to lurk in the paint kept the Wolves from dumping the ball into Karl-Anthony Towns allowing the team to rely on Wendell Carter to lock up Anthony Edwards throughout a 17-point fourth quarter.

Carter was no slouch either in the game. He scored 20 points to go with 11 rebounds and five assists.

But it was the combination between Carter and Bamba that stood out. He only had that one assist at the end of the game to Bamba, but the two have shared a connection. Carter averages 1.4 passes per game to Bamba. That is behind his passes to a lot of the guards, but it does show the connection the two have.

The Magic’s two-big lineup has gotten plenty of controversy. For the season, Orlando has a -5.2 net rating when the two share the court (including a 108.5 defensive rating). It has struggled even more in the last 15 games when the Magic have been playing a bit better — a -7.7 net rating.

But since the All-Star Break, the combo has a +4.5 net rating with a 104.9 defensive rating. That is just seven games, but it is an improvement.

A lot of that is because Bamba has seen an uptick in his play. Since the All-Star Break, Bamba is averaging 13.6 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game while shooting 54.4-percent and 42.9-percent from beyond the arc.

It is easy to look good when a player is playing with that much confidence. And that is something the team is trying to grow in both of their big men.

"“It’s a beautiful thing to watch,” Markelle Fultz said after Friday’s win. “I still don’t think they are as aggressive as they could be or understanding how talented they are. It’s taking baby steps every day. That’s one thing I’m trying to encourage in both of them is being aggressive and understanding how talented they are. And have fun with it. It’s amazing to see the lobs they are getting and the kick-outs to threes and how much fun they have doing it. I’m very proud of it. I’m just going to keep pushing them to get better.”"

The Magic are still pushing to make each other better. They are still trying to figure out what they have and mixing and matching lineups. That remains part of the goal for the rest of the season.

Mosley said this improvement is expected though. They have played together for much of the season and it is easy to see how much that chemistry is going. They are starting to understand where to find pockets for creativity and growth within those lineups.

Orlando’s growth as a team is part of this story too. The team is getting better and everyone is finding their groove. That goes for Bamba and Carter.

Bamba is starting to come into his own and find his place with the team. This is the growth the Magic want to see.

There is still plenty to learn and review. This is still a young team gaining experience. And Bamba is still grabbing every opportunity to improve where and when he can.