The revolving door at the center position included Mo Bamba for the Lakers last season. These three players being discussed in this article were all interconnected last season.
The Lakers traded multiple second-round picks to the Washington Wizards for Rui Hachimura and then traded Bryant to the Nuggets to recoup those picks. Still in need of a center to complete the depth chart, the Lakers traded another second-round pick to the Orlando Magic for Bamba.
Patrick Beverley was part of that deal, going to Orlando. Now, Beverley and Bamba are teammates on the 76ers and neither are performing well away from Los Angeles.
The situation with Bamba differs from Beverley’s. Beverley is consistently in the rotation but not playing well. Bamba, on the other hand, has not seen significant playing time at all, continuing the pattern from his time in Los Angeles.
This indicates that Bamba may not have the high ceiling that draft analysts once anticipated when he was selected in the lottery. Lakers fans had hoped for his high potential last season, but Bamba hardly played even when healthy, disappointing fans who saw him as the perfect fit next to Anthony Davis.
Another team bringing in Bamba and giving him only 18 total minutes in a month validates the decision to keep him out of the rotation. Unfortunately, this likely means he will never live up to being a sixth-overall pick.
Olivia Wilson is a trendsetter in the world of digital culture. With an eagle eye for emerging trends and viral phenomena, she keeps readers up-to-date with the latest online sensations, memes, and pop culture trends. Olivia’s passion for staying ahead of the curve is infectious.