The NBA is such an intriguing sport and the league is off to another rollicking start in its 72nd year. One of the reasons that it gets more and more intriguing every season is the influx of talented and youthful players such as 20-year-old Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba, who is already making an impact in his first year after a great one-year stint at Texas.
As Bamba makes his mark in the NBA, which should be a long stellar career, his length and shot blocking ability on defense should allow his team to guard harder on the perimeter. It should also help the team get up in the passing lanes to create steals, which will lead to accumulating easy fast break points.
“It takes some time from college to the NBA, especially as a big man, and defensively you have a three-second rule and now the way the game is played, you have to be outside defending guys who step out and shoot,” says Orlando center Nikola Vucevic, another 7-footer who is in his seventh season out of USC. “It is just something you have to get adjusted to and he will be fine as he has shown everybody that he can do it.”
The period of adjustment is monumental for young players like Bamba, who come into the league after only one year at the college level. Bamba knew about that adjustment period right away and is transitioning well, as he is embracing and succeeding at the step-by-step process.
“The amount of space there is has been surprising, as well as the pace and style of play,” said Bamba. “It’s a lot faster and there are a lot of different actions you have to be aware of on offense and defense.”
The NBA had a spike in scoring over the first week and a half because of so much firepower inside the offenses. Bamba noted that he is working on his overall game as new coach Steve Clifford has given him nearly 20 minutes per game. He has averaged 5.2 points, and 5.0 rebounds per game.
“I am using my outside shot more,” he said recently. “It’s a little harder on defense. When you get the technique down, it’s going to be a matter of time before you get better defensively and you can cover up things.”
Teammate Aaron Gordon noted that there are some things the Magic, or any NBA team, can do to help assure success of young players. Gordon, in his fourth year out of Arizona, is a key leader on the team and he is looking to help Bamba regarding the length and the wear-and-tear of the 82-game NBA season that spans about seven months before the playoffs.
“He’s learning the offense a lot more and he’s learning what it takes to be a pro,” added Gordon. “We are going to do our best to keep him away from that rookie wall, but he is doing good overall, so far.”
As Bamba settles in with another lengthy teammate in Jonathan Isaac (second season out of Florida State), he readily embraces the learning curve and is ready for whatever type of ride the NBA experience will give him.
“I want to get better at my overall presence both offensively and defensively and the coach puts me in spots where I can show off my different skills,” said Bamba. “It’s a matter of going out there and doing whatever the team needs me to do that particular night.”
Vucevic agrees, as he called on his experiences at USC and how he acclimated himself to the NBA. As the team’s leading scorer so far, as well as a leader of what is a really young and talented Orlando team, he sees Bamba with tremendous opportunity for his career.
“He is still so young and this is his first year,” he said. “It takes some time to get adjusted to the NBA and playing every two days like he is, playing against bigger bodies than him and trying to get his rhythm.”