Los Angeles Lakers: Complete 2018 NBA Draft first round grades
38. . Center. Texas. Mohamed Bamba. 6. player
The Orlando Magic were left in the dust a little bit on draft night. As the draft drew closer, rumors began emerging that the Magic were aiming for Trae Young. However, the trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks threw a wrench in those plans. With their main target off the board, the Magic used the sixth pick on Texas center, Mohamed Bamba.
At first glance, this isn’t a pick that makes much sense for the Magic. They have used big money on the center position in recent years with Nikola Vucevic and Bismack Biyombo already on the roster. However, a player of Bamba’s talent cannot be passed up.
Bamba was drawing a lot of attention in the days leading up to the draft. There were about seven teams looking to move up to have a chance to select him. A big trade up never occurred, as he fell right into the Magic’s lap.
Bamba had impressive workouts, showcasing his improved offensive game. He showed off some impressive 3-point range in workouts, which made him even more of a tantalizing prospect. What teams really like is his length.
Bamba is right about 7-feet tall, but has an 8-foot wingspan and 9’8” standing reach. That makes him an imposing force defensively as a rim protector. In his one season at Texas, Bamba averaged 3.7 blocks per game. He is already a strong rebounder as well, pulling down 10.5 per game at Texas despite the need to improve his strength.
While there is a logjam at center, the Magic made the right choice selecting Bamba. You take the best player available and worry about how it will work out later.