Mohamed Bamba is the kind of player you create in 2K and laugh at because there is no possible way a human can be so tall and so long. At 7′ 1″, 225 pounds with the longest wingspan to ever enter the NBA draft at 7′ 10″, Bamba has all the traits of being a dominate center on both sides of the ball.
In his one year at Texas, it was easy to see his defense was light years ahead of his offense. His size, length and athleticism make him one of the best defensive prospects the draft has ever seen. Simply put, there are not many guys in the world that will be able to score on him one-on-one in the paint. He averaged 3.7 blocks in just 30.2 minutes per game as a freshman and was not one to get into could trouble often. As he continues to grow up, he will need to continue to put on weight to avoid being bullied by some of the stronger players in the NBA, but that should be something he does not have a problem doing. He will also need to prove he can hang on the perimeter defensively, something centers are being asked to do more and more in today’s switch-happy NBA.
Offensively are where the serious question marks lie with Bamba. Despite having significant advantages over the opposition in terms of size, he was never really able to utilize it and become a dominant post scorer like the likes of DeAndre Ayton and Marvin Bagley. His hands are very underwhelming which caused him to fumble the ball at times when catching it or trying to put the ball on the floor. His post-moves are not anything to write home about either, as he often looks uncoordinated. The ability to play above the rim his clearly there, but he has yet to show any type of consistency as a scorer.
His best offensive attribute is his shooting. He may have only shot the ball at a 27.5% clip from three-point range at Texas, but he showcased a nice mid-range game and possesses a nice shooting stroke for a 7-footer. There is certainly potential for him to develop into a stretch-five as his career progresses, which gives him an extremely high ceiling.
Bamba’s unique size and defensive ability along with a nice shooting touch give him a tremendous opportunity to be successful in the NBA. It is easy to see him being a defensive force like Rudy Gobert with more offensive potential. The problem is there are also numerous grey areas that Bamba will have to address to reach his high ceiling. He will need to become more mobile, stronger and improve his footwork. If he does that, the NBA might not be ready for Mo Bamba.