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Clippers 2024-25 Player Preview: Mo Bamba
Our player preview series for the 2025 Clippers continues with Mo Bamba, the Clippers’ new backup center.
Basic Information
Height: 7’0
Weight: 231 pounds
Position: Center
Age: 26
Years in NBA: 6
Key Stats: 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.4 steals and 1.1 blocked shots in 13.0 minutes per game across 57 games played (17 starts) on 49/39.1/68 shooting splits.
Contract Status: One-year contract with the Clippers worth a little over $2 million.
Expectations
With the departure of Mason Plumlee in free agency, the Clippers settled on Mo Bamba as their apparent backup center. Ty Lue does have a penchant for playing small, but size still matters in this league and the team needs someone who can spell Ivica Zubac during games.
Despite being a lottery pick, Bamba has had an underwhelming NBA career to this point. He’s been a decent backup center, but not exactly what you would expect for someone selected with the No. 6 overall pick. But he gets the job done for the most part. You don’t usually expect too much from a backup big man and Clippers fans should keep their expectations low.
Strengths
One of Bamba’s biggest strengths is that he’s a legitimate stretch-five. Since he’s been in the NBA he’s been a good three-point shooter. His ability to space the floor should make for some interesting lineups this season. He holds a career average of 36.1 percent shooting from three-point range, and he shot 39.1 percent last season in Philadelphia.
He’s also a good rebounder, better than any of the Clippers’ recent backup centers. That’s definitely a plus for a team that’s struggled on the glass in recent seasons.
Bamba is also a fairly decent shot-blocker. Opposing teams do need to be aware of him when they attack the paint.
Weaknesses
Consistency is probably one of the biggest issues with Bamba. It’s probably been a key reason as to why his career never really took off. Although he’s still relatively young, he’s past the point where you can say he still has another level to reach. This is as good as it gets.
Although Bamba is a good shot-blocker, he doesn’t bring all that much in terms of on ball, man-to-man defense, or when it comes to defending the pick and roll.
He’s also limited offensively. While he’s shot a decent percentage from three-point range, his overall shooting percentage isn’t the type of efficiency you might expect from a big man.
Summary
Bamba’s status for opening night is actually in question as he’s been out for preseason while dealing with knee soreness. In the meantime, Kai Jones has used that opportunity to make a case to grab the Clippers’ final two-way contract spot and actually play meaningful minutes.
Bamba is essentially a stop gap for this season and does not feature into the Clippers’ long term plans. Given Lue’s affinity for small-ball, and Bamba’s injury status, it actually wouldn’t be surprising to see Bamba playing a limited role this season.