Mo Bamba (C, ORL): Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Truth be told, for someone drafted with the sixth pick the 101 games played and the single-game started through more than a season and a half falls a little short of expectations. Mohamed Bamba entered the NBA last season and in the 100+ games he's played so far for the Magic he's averaged just 15.5 minutes per game. Orlando's fixation in drafting/acquiring big guys have prevented him from seeing the floor more with the likes of Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, and Jonathan Isaac around, but the injury of the latter has opened a small crack in the lineup that has seen Bamba grow his role a bit lately.

Don't get too hyped about the situation, though. Bamba is averaging under 15 mpg on the season and even fewer minutes this past month of February (12.7 mpg). He's a bench rider and will probably remain in that role for the remainder of the season even with Isaac out. With that little playing time, Bamba is trying his best and posting an average 6-5-1-0-2 line nightly and his best contributions are coming on the rebounds and blocks categories. That's where you can get the most from him.

Bamba's 1.5 blocks per game rank 16th in the NBA among players with at least 14 mpg on the season and he actually has a positive +0.9 net rating. Even with good efficiency numbers, Bamba's upside is clearly capped because of the time he spends off the court. If Gordon or Vucevic miss time during the rest of the season he will be forced into a major role, but until then he will keep being a bench-warmer waiting for his turn to try and rack up numbers. Not a must-add, but a good acquisition if you have room enough to stash him and wait for something that ultimately puts him in a better position.