Mo Bamba

[John Galt]

Hey can somebody please excite me about Mo Bamba? He is the default mock pick for us on Tankathon, and he's like the one guy in the whole top 9 who I'm just so "meh" about. Just seems like a guy you take because he's big, and that's it.

I walk away happy with anybody else... Mikal, Carter, Porter for sure, and even Young.

Bamba just seems like such a booby prize and I will be so happy if somebody ahead of us takes him.

But.... if the draft goes as mocked on Tankathon... why should I be happy to have Mo Bamba? Can he play in 2018 and help us win into the high 30's? Or is he a pure project?

If I get sold on Bamba, I can totally relax about the draft. Can one of y'all help me out?

 

[SacKings123]

I believe Mo Bamba is arguably the best defensive anchor in this draft class. Think of Rudy Gobert with more length but less defensive instincts (still young and a work in progress). A plus about Mo Bamba is that he has higher offensive potential compared to Rudy Gobert and has a respectable jump shot that extends out to the 3pt line and can possibly be consistent if he keeps working on that part of his game. One issue is that he needs to fill out his frame a little more since he will be competing against grown men on the next level. Being 7'0 ft tall weighing in at 225 will leave you being banged up and pushed around just like the 2 other bigs we have on our roster (skal,wcs). His potential is arguably as high as anyone else in this draft but he is a player that is really valued on 'potential'.

 

[jiimbob]

Mo Bamba is one smart kid. Listen to him interview and it is impressive. He had Ivy league offers and does an awesome job as an interviewer himself.
I am not saying hes who I want, but as I have said before part of why Jaylen Brown is one of my favorite players is because hes so switched on.

 

[gunks]

I wouldn't mind Bamba. Definitely a "swing for the fences" kind of pick.

Will he become one of those "unicorn" type bigs who can block shots and hit the 3?

I would also prefer Mikal, but he'll probably go 6th, become an allstar, and then we can all argue about the value of Temple killing Orlando that one time for another 5 seasons.

 

[Sactown ExPat]

Most prospects are given a range of outcomes. One of the funny things about Bamba fan evals is that they all say he’s the next Gobert, while neglecting to mention that if a player as limited as Bamba is anything less than Gobert on the defensive end that he’ll be an 11th man.

 

[Joshoua]

Most prospects are given a range of outcomes. One of the funny things about Bamba fan evals is that they all say he’s the next Gobert, while neglecting to mention that if a player as limited as Bamba is anything less than Gobert on the defensive end that he’ll be an 11th man.

Ya the playoffs have changed my mind don’t draft Bamba

 

[kingsboi]

Mo is one of those picks that you take a chance on because of his sky high potential, it's still too early to call it but let's see how the draft workouts play out and all the media frenzy throwing out a hundred rumors about players dropping and going up the ranks

 

[SacTownKid]

Bamba has the upside to go number 1. Easily.

 

[kingsfan1984]

Bamba has the upside to go number 1. Easily.

Hopefully a team in top 5 feels the same way and rolls the dice on him.

If we are takjng a high upside gamble, i think id prefer that to be one of Young or Porter, a player at a position that when filled by a top level offensive player their teams win more.

KAT in Minnesota and previously Cousins here is the evidence that the dominant big man is just not as Valuable as a top tier perimeter player.

 

[206Fan]

Reasons to be excited about Bamba:

• Enormous defensive potential
• Good rim protector
• Great rebounder on both ends
• Big size
• Solid mobility, which will help him for switches
• PnR threat, would be huge with Fox
• Raw, but developing jumpshot
  • Shot just 27.5% from 3pt and 68.1% from FT....but Fox shot just 24.6% from 3pt and 73.6% FT. If people think Fox can develop a consistent jumper in the NBA, why can't the same be said for Bamba?

So right now, his floor in the NBA is a shotblocking and rebounding center who can thrive off PnR and garbage points. That's if he never gets better...Sounds like a Rudy Gobert, no? However, I think Rudy has much better overall defensive instincts, but he also had to develop them overtime in the NBA. If Bamba can add a consistent 3pt shot, he'd be a legitimate 3&D bigman which brings value to any team in the NBA. Having a bigman who can protect the rim can make up for defensive deficiencies from your guards.

 

[206Fan]

Most prospects are given a range of outcomes. One of the funny things about Bamba fan evals is that they all say he’s the next Gobert, while neglecting to mention that if a player as limited as Bamba is anything less than Gobert on the defensive end that he’ll be an 11th man.

11th man? No way. Do you see some of these teams have as their starting C? Here's the list of teams who he'd automatically start for even if he never became as good as Gobert on defense:

1. Mavs
2. Nuggets
3. Lakers
4. Suns
5. Spurs
6. Hawks
7. Nets
8. Bulls
9. Cavs
10. Bucks
11. Knicks

I'm not saying he'll be as good as Gobert, but in case you didn't know..he was much better than 19yearold Gobert at the same stage. To wrap it up, is it all that irrational to think that a 7'0 center with a 7'9 wingspan averaging 10.5rebs and 3.6blks in college will be a good defensive player in the NBA? Not really.

 

[bajaden]

I have written more than I care to admit about Bamba, and I'm not going to go through it again. I just wonder how long it will take those people who think maybe we should swing for the fences on Bamba, to start screaming for his head when he fumbles a wide open pass under the basket, or tries a Papagiannis like post move and throws up an air ball from five feet away. I'll say it again, he's not ready to start in the NBA. Defensively, yes, maybe, but offensively, no. He will take patience.

 

[Joshoua]

**** that I’d rather take my chance on Giles over taking Bamba.

We need more shooting and defense Bamba is too risky when we already have Giles whose getting good reviews. I don’t care if it’s practice I’m seeing too many bigs in the playoffs getting exploited to think Bamba will be different. Bamba isn’t Gobert

 

[Kingster]

Is Bamba as good as Whiteside is currently? Nope. Is Whiteside playing much in the playoffs against Philly? Nope. He's played 12 minutes, 15 minutes, and 13 minutes respectively in the first three games for a total of 40 minutes. In those 40 minutes he's scored a total of 11 points. There's what a one dimensional shot blocker does in today's NBA. He has one of the better coaches in the NBA and that coach has decided to relegate him to minor bench minutes because he can't score and he's a net loser against smaller lineups who can put up 3s. If you really don't mind watching paint drying for four or five years, go for it. Otherwise, no Bamba.

 

[Joshoua]

Is Bamba as good as Whiteside is currently? Nope. Is Whiteside playing much in the playoffs against Philly? Nope. He's played 12 minutes, 15 minutes, and 13 minutes respectively in the first three games for a total of 40 minutes. In those 40 minutes he's scored a total of 11 points. There's what a one dimensional shot blocker does in today's NBA. He has one of the better coaches in the NBA and that coach has decided to relegate him to minor bench minutes because he can't score and he's a net loser against smaller lineups who can put up 3s. If you really don't mind watching paint drying for four or five years, go for it. Otherwise, no Bamba.

And Whiteside can actually score and I wouldn’t mind trading WCS/Skal for Whiteside

 

[bajaden]

Is Bamba as good as Whiteside is currently? Nope. Is Whiteside playing much in the playoffs against Philly? Nope. He's played 12 minutes, 15 minutes, and 13 minutes respectively in the first three games for a total of 40 minutes. In those 40 minutes he's scored a total of 11 points. There's what a one dimensional shot blocker does in today's NBA. He has one of the better coaches in the NBA and that coach has decided to relegate him to minor bench minutes because he can't score and he's a net loser against smaller lineups who can put up 3s. If you really don't mind watching paint drying for four or five years, go for it. Otherwise, no Bamba.

To the extent, is Bamba as good a player as Whiteside right now? No, he's not, but I think down the road he has more potential than Whiteside. Does that mean I want to draft him? No! Do I think eventually he could help our team? Yeah, sure! However I think you have to take a look at what kind of team the Kings are trying to build, and does Bamba's skill set fit that? Personally I don't think it does, at least not now. Could he develop the skill set that's needed? Maybe, but I don't really have the answer to that. It's pure speculation at this point. Personally, I would rather draft someone that already has the skill sets that fit what the team is trying to build.

Now to be fair, I didn't think Buddy's skill set,other than shooting, fit the team either, but he's made big improvements in that area and he's changed my mind. So anything is possible. I'm more of a bird in my hand than a two in the bush kind of guy. To quote Bill Walsh again, and I paraphrase, "If you have potential attached to your name, it means you haven't done anything yet".

 

[bajaden]

And Whiteside can actually score and I wouldn’t mind trading WCS/Skal for Whiteside

You have to bear in mind that it took Whiteside 5 years to figure out how to play in the NBA. He was totally out of the league for two years. Willie has only been in the league for three years, and right now, skill wise, is a better offensive player than Whiteside. The only knock on Willie is his lack of consistency, and of course the criticism of his rebounding. I'd like to point out again, that only 11 players in the NBA last year averaged double digit rebounds, and one of them was a guard. So while Willie's 7 per game may not leap off the page, he's actually in the middle of the pack when it comes to rebounding.

As I recently pointed out, Myles Turner who a lot of people on this forum seem to love actually pulled down fewer rebounds a game than Willie. It's all a matter of perspective.

 

[John Galt]

Reasons to be excited about Bamba:

• Enormous defensive potential
• Good rim protector
• Great rebounder on both ends
• Big size
• Solid mobility, which will help him for switches
• PnR threat, would be huge with Fox
• Raw, but developing jumpshot
  • Shot just 27.5% from 3pt and 68.1% from FT....but Fox shot just 24.6% from 3pt and 73.6% FT. If people think Fox can develop a consistent jumper in the NBA, why can't the same be said for Bamba?

So right now, his floor in the NBA is a shotblocking and rebounding center who can thrive off PnR and garbage points. That's if he never gets better...Sounds like a Rudy Gobert, no? However, I think Rudy has much better overall defensive instincts, but he also had to develop them overtime in the NBA. If Bamba can add a consistent 3pt shot, he'd be a legitimate 3&D bigman which brings value to any team in the NBA. Having a bigman who can protect the rim can make up for defensive deficiencies from your guards.

that just sounds so insufficient... "might be as good as Rudy Gobert" is cold comfort.

 

[The_Jamal]

that just sounds so insufficient... "might be as good as Rudy Gobert" is cold comfort.

Say what? Bamba being a top 10 player in the NBA is insufficient?

 

[John Galt]

Say what? Bamba being a top 10 player in the NBA is insufficient?

You should be in the Olympics with that leaping ability!!

If you will pick Gobert in the top 10 I want you in my fantasy league. Actually I don't gamble or play fantasy basketball, but I will just agree to disagree that he is somewhere in this class: Lebron, Westbrook, Curry, Durant, Harden, Unibrow, Alphabet, Kawhi, KAT, Wall. But ok - shove him in there because you value rim protectors and... still it is not really a solid syllogism:

Rudy Gobert is a really good player and people exist who would say he is one of the top 10 players in the league.
Mo Bamba, if things work out well and he isn't a bust, has potential to contribute similarly to Gobert.
:. Bamba is a top 10 player in the NBA

 

[ESP47]

Reasons to be excited about Bamba:

• Enormous defensive potential
• Good rim protector
• Great rebounder on both ends
• Big size
• Solid mobility, which will help him for switches
• PnR threat, would be huge with Fox
• Raw, but developing jumpshot
  • Shot just 27.5% from 3pt and 68.1% from FT....but Fox shot just 24.6% from 3pt and 73.6% FT. If people think Fox can develop a consistent jumper in the NBA, why can't the same be said for Bamba?

So right now, his floor in the NBA is a shotblocking and rebounding center who can thrive off PnR and garbage points. That's if he never gets better...Sounds like a Rudy Gobert, no? However, I think Rudy has much better overall defensive instincts, but he also had to develop them overtime in the NBA. If Bamba can add a consistent 3pt shot, he'd be a legitimate 3&D bigman which brings value to any team in the NBA. Having a bigman who can protect the rim can make up for defensive deficiencies from your guards.

What you described there can be attributed to a ton of players. Rudy Gobert is special and there is only one of him. Whiteside could be similar but he's a head case.

Bamba's ceiling is Gobert. Not his floor.

 

[206Fan]

What you described there can be attributed to a ton of players. Rudy Gobert is special and there is only one of him. Whiteside could be similar but he's a head case.

Bamba's ceiling is Gobert. Not his floor.

I disagree. Who are all these players? Talking 7ft tall+ enormous wingspan+athletic+rim protection+rebounding. It would be difficult just coming up with 10, let alone a ton: Davis, Gobert, Capela, Embiid, Dwight, Drummond?, McGee? Noel? and it flat-lines.
I have not seen anyone say that Bamba's floor is Gobert. I myself have not said that Bamba's floor is Gobert. However, Bamba is easily ahead of Gobert at 19yearsold.

Here's 20yearold Gobert's draft profile from DX about his weaknesses:

"On the downside, Gobert is a fairly limited player if unable to simply catch and finish around the basket. He doesn't show a very high skill-level with his back to the basket, not having the lower body strength needed to establish great position inside or a terribly diverse arsenal of footwork or post moves he can go to when his initial move is cut off. His lack of strength, balance and toughness makes it difficult for him to finish through contact in traffic, and he needs to continue to improve his left hand."

"Outside of the paint, Gobert hasn't shown any real semblance of a jump-shot at this stage, and didn't look to be on the verge of developing one from what we saw in the drills of the NBA Combine in Chicago. He's generally not a great passer or decision maker with the ball in his hands either...Gobert's lack of strength does affect him here too, though, as he gets moved around rather easily inside the paint, not always being able to hold his ground. He lacks some intensity and toughness on this end of the floor, sometimes allowing himself to get pushed around inside and not offering enough resistance.

"Just an average rebounder on the defensive end, Gobert shows solid timing boxing out his man, but tends to get pushed around and lets smaller opponents wrestle rebounds away from him. His 5.7 defensive rebounds per-40 is a fairly pedestrian rate and something he'll have to improve on to see minutes in the NBA."

"While Gobert is a little older than you might hope considering the stage of development he's currently at both physically and skill-wise, turning 21 the day before this year's NBA Draft, there's little doubt that he's a prospect with significant upside still. - Source: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Rudy-Gobert-5878/ ©DraftExpress"

Is it all that crazy to compare Bamba to Gobert? Not really. They're very similar prospects. If I compared his strengths at 20yearsold, they would go hand in hand with Bamba's strengths at 19yearsold. Remember, it took Gobert years of development in the NBA to get where he is now. I don't think anyone is suggesting Bamba could come into the NBA right now and become 2017 Gobert.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Rudy Gobert is special and there is only one of him.

The Gobert hyperbole around here will always baffle me. Good player, but far from special.
LeBron James is special. Steph Curry is special. Kevin Durant is special. Gobert is just a good player.

 

[Dime Dropper]

The Gobert hyperbole around here will always baffle me. Good player, but far from special.
LeBron James is special. Steph Curry is special. Kevin Durant is special. Gobert is just a good player.

Have to agree. Gobert is a damn good player, but it's weird seeing his cult status on this forum. The idea that Bamba's ceiling is Gobert is laughable.

 

[hrdboild]

The Gobert hyperbole around here will always baffle me. Good player, but far from special.
LeBron James is special. Steph Curry is special. Kevin Durant is special. Gobert is just a good player.

He's probably going to win Defensive Player of the Year this season. Is that not a special player?

 

[Joshoua]

Have to agree. Gobert is a damn good player, but it's weird seeing his cult status on this forum. The idea that Bamba's ceiling is Gobert is laughable.

You’re out of your mind

And it’s not just here on ever forum I’ve seen Gobert is regarded as special Utah isn’t Utah without. Bamba will never be as good as Gobert I’ll tell you that much

 

[Dime Dropper]

You’re out of your mind

And it’s not just here on ever forum I’ve seen Gobert is regarded as special Utah isn’t Utah without. Bamba will never be as good as Gobert I’ll tell you that much

Completely missing the point.

Gobert is a great player. Not a superstar though. He's a top defensive anchor who fits in on offense. No doubting his importance to Utah.

Gobert had serious questions and weaknesses coming into the league. More than Bamba actually. That doesn't mean Bamba will be better, but if you can't envision any best case scenario where Bamba is better than Gobert, then it's you who is out of your mind my friend.

 

[hrdboild]

This Rudy Gobert discussion almost needs its own thread at this point. If we can't at least agree that he's the MVP of that Utah Jazz team, I don't know how we can have a discussion about the merits of drafting Bamba. It's not so much that Bamba resembles Rudy enough to warrant comparison-- it's just that he's the prototype for the kind of player Bamba could be. You're talking about a monster defensive presence that will force other teams to alter the way they play offense just because he's on the floor. Think about this: how many big men are so dominant in the paint that the rest of the team can leave them on an island while they switch picks and guard the three point line? Gobert might be it right now. Whiteside has sometimes been that for Miami. Embiid shows flashes. Anthony Davis was better early in his career, he seems to have regressed as a defender though now that he's a top 5 scorer. DeAndre Jordan at his peak was a major deterrent. Al Horford has the skillset but not the dominant size. Nerlens Noel has vanished. Joakim Noah is even worse. Robin Lopez is aging out of relevance faster than Isaiah Thomas. The defensive bigman is the new unicorn while stretch 4s and 5s have flooded the market.

For as much as we talk about three point shooting, the correlary to the super charged offense every team wants to run right now is that you can't be a good defensive team anymore unless you defend the three point line. Guards and wings helping off shooters is a thing of the past. You need 4 guys at or near the line disrupting passing lanes, fighting through screens, keeping their hands up, alway moving their feet, trying to sniff out and disrupt a million different offensive sets all designed to confuse defenders and create open threes. That leaves one guy in the middle to play "free safety" on any dribble action into the paint and gobble up the rebounds that your perimeter defenders are too far out of position to get to. That's a job maybe 5 players in the entire league can perform effectively right now. That's why we're seeing record offensive numbers, defense across the league is in major remission. Bamba has a chance to be among the rarest of the rare right now in NBA talent... the defensive anchor in the paint who allows you to stay aggressive on the perimeter. We can talk about how likely he is to get to that level, I have more to say about Bamba for some later time when I'm not working late nights and weekends... but I can't understand why the conversation is going in a direction that downplays the defensive big man in favor of more shooting. We have all kinds of shooting already and have ever since George Karl rolled through town. It hasn't done squat for us. What we don't have is a defensive anchor who controls the area around the basket. And without that we're always going to be vulnerable to any team who can put 4 shooters on the floor and move the ball efficiently.

 

[Dime Dropper]

This Rudy Gobert discussion almost needs its own thread at this point. If we can't at least agree that he's the MVP of that Utah Jazz team, I don't know how we can have a discussion about the merits of drafting Bamba. It's not so much that Bamba resembles Rudy enough to warrant comparison-- it's just that he's the prototype for the kind of player Bamba could be. You're talking about a monster defensive presence that will force other teams to alter the way they play offense just because he's on the floor. Think about this: how many big men are so dominant in the paint that the rest of the team can leave them on an island while they switch picks and guard the three point line? Gobert might be it right now. Whiteside has sometimes been that for Miami. Embiid shows flashes. Anthony Davis was better early in his career, he seems to have regressed as a defender though now that he's a top 5 scorer. DeAndre Jordan at his peak was a major deterrent. Al Horford has the skillset but not the dominant size. Nerlens Noel has vanished. Joakim Noah is even worse. Robin Lopez is aging out of relevance faster than Isaiah Thomas. The defensive bigman is the new unicorn while stretch 4s and 5s have flooded the market.

For as much as we talk about three point shooting, the correlary to the super charged offense every team wants to run right now is that you can't be a good defensive team anymore unless you defend the three point line. Guards and wings helping off shooters is a thing of the past. You need 4 guys at or near the line disrupting passing lanes, fighting through screens, keeping their hands up, alway moving their feet, trying to sniff out and disrupt a million different offensive sets all designed to confuse defenders and create open threes. That leaves one guy in the middle to play "free safety" on any dribble action into the paint and gobble up the rebounds that your perimeter defenders are too far out of position to get to. That's a job maybe 5 players in the entire league can perform effectively right now. That's why we're seeing record offensive numbers, defense across the league is in major remission. Bamba has a chance to be among the rarest of the rare right now in NBA talent... the defensive anchor in the paint who allows you to stay aggressive on the perimeter. We can talk about how likely he is to get to that level, I have more to say about Bamba for some later time when I'm not working late nights and weekends... but I can't understand why the conversation is going in a direction that downplays the defensive big man in favor of more shooting. We have all kinds of shooting already and have ever since George Karl rolled through town. It hasn't done squat for us. What we don't have is a defensive anchor who controls the area around the basket. And without that we're always going to be vulnerable to any team who can put 4 shooters on the floor and move the ball efficiently.

This is exactly why Bamba should be in the discussion at our pick. It's not like he's completely hopeless offensively either, he's just very raw.

I don't care that we'll have to wait a few seasons for a return on our investment. We're not going anywhere sooner than that anyway. I'm not saying Bamba is my top choice at our pick, but he might be by the time workouts etc are done. Also important to remember that he's a super, super smart kid with great character. That counts for a lot.

 

[Sactown ExPat]

There just doesn’t seem to be an ability to have an actual conversation about Bamba. Supporters only see the next Gobert. The only comparison is to Gobert, because long arms. Why can’t he be the next Dedmon or McGee? We simply cannot countenance anything less than Gobert, apparently.

If we had the 11th pick and were debating between Bamba, Sexton, Knox, and maybe Zhaire Smith...sure, why not? But, we aren’t, and should get a better prospect where we pick. Bamba seems to be the benefactor of a phenemon we see often in sports, some organization gets lucky on a high production player from a low value draft slot due to a narrow set of circumstances, that player becomes an archetype, and poorly run organizations chase after the next iteration of that player with high value picks. Spending a top ten pick on the next Gobert is a fool’s errand—many of our current young guys would be gone by the time he even reached that potential, if he ever did, because Vlade/Joerger will have been fired while Bamba floundered and the next GM would sell off the Bogis, Buddys, and Foxes on the roster.

How many GMs got themselves fired chasing the next Dirk?