Before getting into an offseason of uncertainty, Mo Bamba made it known he wants to continue to be a part of what the Orlando Magic are constructing.
Bamba used phrases comparable to “us”, “our” or “we” when reflecting on the expansion the 2021-22 season introduced the Magic and discussing what may lie forward for the younger core.
“I want to be here,” Bamba stated. “I just want to make that clear. I’ll let that stuff handle itself and continue to work.”
While that gained’t assure something for his future, it’s evident Bamba’s getting into free company together with his sights set on returning to the Magic after having his finest season.
Bamba averaged a number of career-highs with one class standing above the remainder: video games performed. He made 71 appearances (69 begins), taking part in in a career-best 86.6% of the season.
The adage “the best ability is availability” could also be cliché, however it allowed Bamba to prosper throughout a season when Orlando prioritized giving youthful gamers extra possibilities to develop.
“This whole season was about the low-hanging fruit,” Bamba stated. “The lowest of the low-hanging fruit was just being available for my teammates. I was out with COVID for a couple of games, but I tried to put myself in the position where my body could handle 82 games.”
That availability led to Bamba getting extra taking part in time (career-best 25.7 minutes) to go together with career-highs in factors (10.6), rebounds (8.1), blocks (1.7) and assists (1.2). Bamba was certainly one of 4 gamers, together with Jaren Jackson Jr., Kristaps Porziņģis and Myles Turner, to common at the least 1.5 blocks and 1.5 3-pointers.
Bamba’s elevated manufacturing wasn’t solely as a result of he performed extra and had extra obligations — although that helped.
He was a greater shooter, flattening a career-high 38.1% of his 3s (4 makes an attempt per sport), serving to open the ground for fellow beginning massive man Wendell Carter Jr. or others to assault the paint. Bamba’s free-throw accuracy, which has elevated every season, was a career-high 78.1%.
“Mo started to shoot the ball consistently as we have expected him to grow into over the years,” Jeff Weltman, Orlando’s president of basketball operations, stated throughout an look on FM 96.9 The Game’s Open Mike with the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi. “That takes time. Especially with guys with Mo’s body type, it takes longer than others. The actual consistency, getting up and down the court is on the uptick.”
Defensively, Bamba supplied rim safety whereas fouling much less steadily — one cause he had struggled getting constant minutes.
Bamba’s blocks had been tied for the league’s ninth-best mark. His block share (3.3%), though decrease than in earlier seasons, remained elite.
Even when he wasn’t blocking pictures, Bamba did a good job of deterring makes an attempt on the rim, which was an emphasis of Magic coach Jamahl Mosley’s defensive scheme. Opponents shot 57.8% inside six ft of the basket when Bamba was the closest defender, 6.2% worse than regular, in keeping with NBA.com/stats. When Bamba was on the ground, opponents took pictures on the rim much less steadily.
Bamba’s foul charge of 4% was a league common mark for large males, in keeping with Cleaning The Glass, however was a big enchancment from the 4.7%-5.2% foul charge he’d been hovering round in his first three seasons. In earlier years, Bamba would typically foul due to poor timing and positioning.
“He did a really good job understanding where he needed to be [with the] timing of things,” Mosley stated. “Protecting and being able to switch out at times. He and Wendell, they were really good together.”
While Bamba made progress, it’s clear he can develop extra.
Offensively, Bamba might want to show his 3-point taking pictures wasn’t an outlier and that he is usually a risk to attain in addition to exterior taking pictures.
Bamba remained environment friendly on putbacks (1.2 factors per possession) however his offensive rebounding share (7.8%) was under common for bigs, which might be as a result of he typically completed possessions spacing both within the nook or above the important thing. His offensive rebounding percentages within the earlier two seasons had been above common marks.
He received higher as a cutter (1.39 factors per possession) however can nonetheless enhance because the roll man within the pick-and-roll.
Defensively, the positioning and timing when in a drop can nonetheless enhance to benefit from his 7-foot-10 wingspan.
The Magic have till June 29 to tender a 1-year, $10.1 million qualifying provide to Bamba, the No. 6 decide within the 2018 draft, to make him a restricted free agent. If they don’t, Bamba turns into an unrestricted free agent. Weltman prompt the provide can be made.
“He’s still got work to do,” Weltman stated. “He’s got a lot of progress in front of him. Mo is a restricted free agent and right now our whole group is taking a big exhale. We will regroup and try to get an understanding of how our group fits together. Free agency is a two-way street. We’ll see where that goes, but we’re very encouraged by Mo’s progress.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or comply with him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com