Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba has high hopes for the 2019-20 season after what could be said as an underwhelming rookie year for him.
Bamba, the sixth overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, failed to live up to expectations in his first year in the league. His season was also cut short after he was shut down for the second half of the year due to a stress fracture in his left leg.
Heading to the new season, however, the 21-year-old center believes he'll play better. In an interview with John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com, Bamba emphasized that while he missed plenty of time in the previous campaign, he has already adjusted to NBA-level basketball.
The Texas Longhorns product added that the game has slowed for him and that he is now seeing other aspects of the game that was previously not obvious to him.
“I’m starting to see things that I didn’t necessarily see last year or even in the season,” said Bamba. “The game has slowed down, and I think it’s only going to get easier with the amount of spacing and discipline that we have in our offense. I’m really trying to use this as a way to get reps to get better for next year.”
Bamba averaged 6.2 points, 5.0 rebound and 1.4 blocks in 47 games for the Magic last year. While he struggled offensively, he displayed the shot-blocking ability that made him a lottery prospect.
He serves primarily as a backup to All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, though Orlando certainly has big plans for him moving forward.
Bamba has vowed to improve in his second year in the league, and getting himself accustomed to the level needed to play in the NBA is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.
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