https://youtu.be/J0XYns9X-NQ
After scoring in double digits in just three games pre-“tradepocalypse”, Mo Bamba has scored in double digits 8 of the last 9 games and has set a new career high twice, first with nineteen points, and now with 21 points. This is the power of the Magic trading Nikola Vucevic and buying out Khem Birch. The forgotten bust man languishing at the end of the bench and barely getting opportunities has turned into one of the better players on the roster, seemingly overnight.
Bamba is under contract for one more year, and the Magic are definitely not planning on completing their rebuild in a single off-season, so, next season, we’re looking at probably a full year of Bamba getting a larger role. It’s also a contract year for Bamba, a fact that his agent isn’t going to let him forget, so I fully expect Bamba to make even more progress towards un-busting himself as he prepares to get a shiny new contract either from the Magic or from somebody else. That’s also why I expect to see plenty of sweaty summer workout videos from Bamba this off-season, preferably with a bumping soundtrack and lots of white trainer dudes getting hook shots shot over them.
Funny statistical note from this game: Mo Bamba was five-of-six from the triplezone, while his teammates combined for a meager 3-of-30 from deep. I admire the Magic for committing hard to the tanking process that they had eschewed for so long, but man, that’s brutal. It’s a good thing their arena capacity is severely reduced by COVID restrictions, because there’s no way they would be getting a full complement of fans to watch this team play basketball for 48 agonizing minutes.