The Orlando Magic have struggled to find a rhythm through the early stages of this season, but Mo Bamba is hoping a strong outing in the second half of this campaign will net his team more wins.
Orlando's 17-24 overall record currently has them ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference standings, which is two and a half games back from the 8th-seeded Charlotte Hornets (19-21). For a bit of perspective, the Magic were 12-29 and nine and a half games out of the No. 8 spot by the midway point of last season. Clearly, the team has improved.
Bamba, now 20 years of age, is hoping his energy will equate to more victories:
“Offensively, it’s just about my overall energy and getting in that rhythm and flow and when the defense collapses, I have to trust my teammates,” Bamba recently said, per Magic.com. “Defensively, it’s just about being that presence and I feel like I’ve made some strides as far as blocking shots.
“Not a different player (over the next 41 games), but one who just contributes more toward winning,’’ Bamba added. “That’s a lot of what the coaching staff is asking of me and I think a lot of it will come just from experience.”
The Magic will need a solid showing from Bamba in the second half of this campaign — if their goal is indeed to make it to the postseason. The former Texas Longhorn has made 39 appearances with the team this season, racking up averages of 6.3 points on 46.7 percent shooting from the field (28.1 percent from beyond the arc), 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 16.4 minutes per outing.
Bamba is currently dealing with a sore foot, which kept him out of Wednesday night's game against the Utah Jazz. His minutes have taken a hit as of late, playing just 13 minutes on Monday and 14 on Sunday. Hopefully, he'll be able to recover sooner rather than later.
The Magic will be back in action on Saturday, when they'll welcome the Boston Celtics to town. Tip-off inside the Amway Center is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
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