Center, Mohamed Bamba. Freshman, Texas.
"“Bamba has a 7-foot-9 wingspan that would be the longest of any player currently in the NBA. He’s a solid basketball player as well, with good hands, impressive timing as a shot-blocker and rebounder and more offensive ability than you might expect.”"
"“Mo Bamba could be Rudy Gobert with a 3, which is just about all you need to know .And he projects similar defensive potential. He’s physically gifted, moves his feet incredibly well for a player of his size, and he’s smart. On offense, he’s a lob machine who also has the potential to step out and hit 3’s.He has good touch inside and from the line.”"
My analysis:
At 19 years old, Bamba is already seven feet tall and accordingly has a very long wingspan – longer than Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
Bamba could be a shot blocking and rebounding machine like Gobert, but can also come down and knock down shots all over the floor. That skillset has to be very intriguing for every NBA team as they hunt for that next ”Unicorn” player.
If Jusuf Nurkic doesn’t end up being the guy the Blazers want, they can let him walk this summer and explore their options. Bamba would be a great fit in that center spot for Portland and would fit nicely into Terry Stotts offensive system.
Bamba has that Kristaps Porzingis, and Giannis Antetokounmpo type of potential.