The Los Angeles Lakers acquired several players ahead of the trade deadline this season, but one of their more underrated additions has been center Mo Bamba.
At 7 feet tall and about 230 pounds, he boasts an incredible 7-foot-10 wingspan, which gives him the ability to block shots and deter dribble penetration and shots taken at or near the rim.
Bamba is also a good rebounder, not to mention a legitimate 3-point shooting threat. In nine games with L.A. (he missed about a month with a sprained ankle), he averaged 13.5 points, 16.8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots per 36 minutes.
Yet, since coming to the Purple and Gold, Bamba has been played sparingly by head coach Darvin Ham, and Ham has often opted to go small at the 5 when Anthony Davis is resting.
On Sunday in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, Bamba played one minute in garbage time at the very end.
Plenty of fans believe he should be getting more run when Davis is on the bench.
In this series, the Lakers are going up against big man Jaren Jackson Jr., the newly minted Defensive Player of the Year who averaged an NBA-high three blocked shots in the regular season.
Bamba’s ability to hit from downtown would make Jackson, if he is in the game when Bamba is on the court, come out onto the perimeter to guard him, which would open the lane for L.A.’s other players.
On Sunday, when Davis was on the bench, Ham went with LeBron James at the 5, which could work in very short spurts against certain matchups and lineups, but may not be a wise option beyond that, given his mileage and the fact Jackson is patrolling the middle for the opposition.
Even if Ja Morant is unable to play moving forward due to the hand injury he suffered late in Game 1, the Grizzlies will not be easy to knock out. They’re a feisty squad that still features plenty of talent and length.
This would probably be the best time for Ham to work Bamba into his regular rotation and see what he has to offer on a more regular basis, because the road to the NBA championship will only get tougher for the Lakers.
