The center position is rapidly changing in the NBA as back-to-the-basket bigs have been phased out over the last five or so years in favor of pure defensive hounds or freak do-it-all scorers.
Teams no longer want a sluggish, ball-demanding big in the post. Instead, every franchise is searching for their own Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, or Kristaps Porzingis to build a team around. For any team with a high lottery pick, Texas freshman Mo Bamba should be at the top of the scouting list.
A seven-foot big with a 7’9 wingspan (0.5 inches longer than Rudy Gobert), Bamba is an unmatched physical freak at the collegiate level whose size should raise as many eyes at the next level. Few in the world are built like him, and he’s averaging 11.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks because of it.
The top of NBA mock drafts have stayed mostly true to form aside from the rise of Oklahoma guard Trae Young. Slovenian guard/forward Luka Doncic is the overwhelming favorite still to go No. 1 followed by some order of Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr., Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton, Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr., and Duke’s Marvin Bagley III.
But Bamba needs to be in the conversation for No. 1 because he has the potential to grow into a franchise’s defensive anchor, and there’s reason to believe in his potential to grow as a scorer.
There’s no secret it’s Bamba who anchors Texas basketball as the No. 6 defensive team in the nation, according to KenPom. The Longhorns allow an unimaginatively low 82.7 points per 100 possessions with Bamba on the floor, because his ridiculous length alters the shot of anyone within his 7’9 reach. He’s one of the few prospects in the world who can sell tickets just by his play on the defensive end.
Bamba’s best game came against Kansas, one of the nation’s best teams, in January. He posted 22 points, 15 rebounds, and eight blocks to put his team within range of beating the Jayhawks. Matched up against a sophomore former five-star recruit, Udoka Azuibuike, Bamba was at ease protecting the basket and running the floor.
But Bamba doesn’t just force shot adjustments and swat away on the interior. He’s a threat from anywhere inside to the three-point extended. He reads the floor incredibly well for someone who has only played a handful of college games, and is an expert at hedging out to stop the ball.
His length here stopped 43 percent three-point shooter LaGerald Vick from firing in rhythm, and that’s just a small sample of the plays he makes that don’t show on the stat sheet.
Bamba’s defensive IQ is off the walls, specifically at reading the pick and roll. He knows how to use his size to disrupt the ball-handler, and he’s quick (and long) enough to recover onto his own man as he rolls toward the hoop.
It’s hard to argue against Bamba as the best rim-protecting big in college hoops.
Bamba’s block rate is sensational as well at 17.1 percent — that’s second-best in the nation — and is translating to an unreal NINE per 100 possessions. He’s blocked four or more shots in 15 of the 16 games he’s played in.
Bamba is far from a finished product on the offensive end, but he does the basics well for now. He isn’t a guy you can feed the ball to in the post and watch him work, or a guy who penetrates from the wing, and he definitely isn’t going to pull up with a defender at his hip. And that’s all OK.
He’s a good finisher off lobs and lead passes for easy layups, and that’s what he’ll do as a rookie in the NBA.
His best offensive attribute may be that he’s one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, grabbing three of his 10.4 per game on that end. He O-rebounds to the 85th-best percentage among 2,159 players, per KenPom.
That 7’9 reach is still going to be a problem at the next level.
The area of his game that could separate him from the rest of the top prospects is his development at three-point line. Bamba has only taken 31 this season (1.9 per game) and made seven (22.6 percent), but his form is pure. This stroke looks the part of something an NBA team could develop.
His elbow cocks out a bit, and his release is slow, but his motion is smooth, as is the movement of the ball from his stomach up to his chin.
Naysayers will point out that free throw shooting is the top indicator for NBA three-point success, and he shoots just 62 percent from the free throw line. But that’s only on 50 attempts. We haven’t seen enough of Bamba as a floor spacer to know his true upside on the offensive end, and the idea he could grow into a real scorer is enticing.
Bamba is a special talent whose size is replicated by few — only Gobert and Hassan Whiteside come to mind. Neither of those two have the shot mechanics of Bamba, and aren’t pace-and-space options or as quick down the court as the Longhorn, either.
Defense translates to the NBA, and Bamba is among the best in the country at it. He blocks shots at a ridiculous rate, and has shown the smarts to be in the perfect place to disrupt as many shots as possible. He may be a longer-term project, but he’s one of the safest picks the draft has to offer with potential to grow into a two-way player.
Mo Bamba is a top-five pick who no team should be able to pass on easily.
