Mohamed Bamba: The ultimate boom or bust prospect

CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Mohamed Bamba poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Mohamed Bamba poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
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NBA Draft Prospect Mohamed Bamba
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Mohamed Bamba poses for a portrait before the NBA Draft Lottery on May 15, 2018 at The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois.  (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBA Draft prospect Mohamed Bamba falls under the huge risk – high reward category.

Mohamed Bamba has some of the most ridiculous measurables in NBA Draft history, but an unpolished game and under-developed body are giving teams pause about his ability to translate his natural gifts into legitimate basketball skills.

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The list of measurements of Mohamed Bamba from the recent NBA combine read more like the description of a pterodactyl rather than a human being. 7’10” wingspan. 7’1 height, 225 lbs. 9’7″ standing reach.

He’s easily one of the most physically gifted athletes to ever pass through the NBA Draft, but even with his freakish tools, questions still plague his stock.

Can he adjust to the physicality of the NBA with such a skinny frame? Can he hang on the perimeter well enough defensively to survive the modernity of the league? Will he develop offensively enough to be at least an average player on that end? 

Background:

Height: 7’1″

Weight: 225 lbs.

Wingspan: 7’10”

Position: Center

Age: 20 years old

College: Texas, Freshman

Stats:

  • 12.9 points per game
  • 10.5 rebounds per game
  • .5 assists per game, shooting
  • 54.1% from the field
  • 27.5% from three
  • 68.1% from the free throw line.

Hometown: Harlem, New York