3 Mitchell Robinson replacements Knicks could pursue this summer
By Mark Nilon
1. Mo Bamba
People seem to forget that Mo Bamba was the sixth overall pick back in the 2018 NBA Draft and, instead, are viewing him as an arguable bust and mere passion project heading into the summer where he’ll be a free agent.
Ultimately, this lack of hype and pedestrian status could wind up playing into New York’s favor should they wish to pursue him.
As we said, Bamba was drafted as a high lottery pick four years ago by the Orlando Magic, and, at the time, it was viewed as somewhat of an odd grab for the franchise considering that they already had three other highly talented bigs in tow in Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon, and All-Star center Nikola Vucevic.
Because of this crowded frontcourt, Bamba struggled to see consistent playing time through the first three seasons of his career and, as a result, his counting stats took a major hit, and so too did his status.
However, over time each of these three players departed from the rotation in one way or another (for Gordon and Vucevic, it was via trade; for Issac, it was an ACL tear) and, in his first season being the defacto starting big, the 24-year-old went on to show the promise and potential that ultimately made him a top 10 draft selection in the first place.
Through 71 games and 69 starts, Bamba had himself a career year, as he posted solid averages of 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game on 48% shooting from the field and 38% shooting from deep in 25.7 minutes a night.
Now, with this, some may wish to pull on the reigns a bit when it comes to a hypothetical pursuit of the big, as one may go with the classic argument of, “Well he’s only been productive once in four years, does he really warrant a ton of attention in free agency?”
This, my friends, is simply an incorrect thought process.
Just because he struggled to find extended action on the floor during the season prior to 2021-22, this does not mean that he never showed this kind of promise.
In fact, during the season prior to this, when Bamba saw a considerable increase in his minutes, he only managed to up his production and efficiency along the way.
In 2020-21, when receiving 20-29 minutes, the center found himself posting 13.3 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 49% from the floor and 38% from distance.
Now, outside of his skillset, what makes the big man even more intriguing is his astonishing stature.
Measuring in at 7-0 with a 7-10 wingspan, the former lottery selection has the type of build that would allow him to dominate down low on both ends of the floor, yet has the shooting abilities that would allow him to open up the paint and clear lanes for drivers such as Barrett, Randle, Derrick Rose, etc.
Of all the big men found in this year’s free agency class, should Robinson depart this summer, the Harlem native should be viewed as one of the best replacement options they could pursue.
