It's been an offseason of great change for Coach Tyronn Lue's Los Angeles Clippers, including the team's free agent additions (and subtractions).
The Clippers made at least one move that could very well be considered a mistake in the near future, while also adding a potentially great young player to replace the departing Paul George.
All things considered, it's been a curious 2024 and NBA free agency season for the Clippers, a time period that has included a long-awaited logo change and plenty of speculation about additional moves to come.
Recently, ex-Clipper Paul George's massive contract was ripped apart by a former NBA point guard. Meanwhile, former Clippers forward Paul Pierce had a shocking take on Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard's opt-out from Team USA.
The Clippers will welcome a whole new cast of characters to the locker room this season, including a towering center who came over from the City of Brotherly Love. While his presence will make fans happy and excited, it will ultimately end up going down as the biggest mistake of the offseason among the Clippers' free agent moves.
Mo Bamba's Signing Is Clippers' Biggest Mistake
Mo Bamba is talented enough to give NBA fans Victor Wembanyama vibes when he's “On,” and Manute Bol vibes when he's “Off,” if not Hasheem Thabeet or Michael Olowakandi vibes. At seven-feet tall, Bamba is more low to the ground and aerodynamic than those players which gives him added movement skills, but he still appears to have many holes in his game that seem like they will never be fixed.
Bamba's performances run the gamut of showing promise and fostering disappointment, from potential star to average NBA player with flashes of brilliance to complete and total bust.
Bamba come over from the 76ers this offseason as he was added during the NBA free agent cycle by Coach Tyronn Lue's Clippers, but this is a move that is easy to question. Bamba is simply not a championship caliber player at this point in his career which is why he hasn't been on a truly successful team and could not last with the crosstown LA Lakers.
The former Texas Longhorns fan favorite had his effort questioned by legendary NBA center Shaquille O'Neal fairly recently but that didn't seem to do a lot to improve his game.
Last season, Bamba averaged just 4.4 points for the Sixers in 13 minutes per game. He shot a hair under 49 percent from the field and grabbed 4.2 rebounds while blocking 1.1 shots in limited game time.
Bamba has an impact on the game when he's in there but he doesn't seem like the type of player coaches can trust for very long on the court. Because of his limited physical strength and lumbering lateral movement at times, even thought he's relatively svelte for his height at 231 pounds, Bamba can be a liability at times on the court.
Bamba's Potential Is Limited
These issues don't seem like they will go away anytime soon. While NBA fans are busy questioning whether Zach Edey can last in a full time role with the Memphis Grizzlies, Bamba's weaknesses are being overlooked. The Clippers took a chance in signing him but they quite frankly didn't have a whole lot of other options judging by the lack of depth at the center position in the NBA.
Bamba will make plays and thrill fans. He will impact the game in a backup center role. But the question now is whether Tyronn Lue can fully trust him to play more than 10 or 15 minutes per game.
If the answer is yes, Clippers fans can feel confident that their front office made the right move. If the answer is no, which I totally suspect, then Bamba could end up lasting only a year or two in Los Angeles before the journeyman center inevitably moves on to his next destinaiton.
That's not to say Mo Bamba is not a talented basketball player, but it's just the reality of who he is at this point in time.
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