Mo Bamba
Jakob Poeltl has quietly grown into one of the most solid starting centers in the NBA. After being traded to San Antonio as part of the Kawhi Leonard deal, Poeltl has become a bona fide defensive anchor and one of the better high-post and short-roll playmakers at his position.
Although he’s a safe bet to be one of the better starting centers in the league for a long time, he’s likely already reached his ceiling. Loaded with a depth chart full of “B+” players, the San Antonio Spurs need to mine a talent that can one day be an All-NBA-level force.
Mohamed Bamba proved last season that he still has that potential. After years of wasting away on Steve Clifford’s bench while he refined his game, Bamba finally strung together some of the tools he had last year to showcase the tantalizing potential that made him the sixth-overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
A true seven-footer equipped with a 7’10 wingspan, he has the size and athleticism to be one of the most dominant defensive forces in the league one day. He put that on display in 2021-2022, averaging 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes. Although he’s already a legitimate rim protector, it’s his offensive promise that makes him a potential future star.
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His athleticism allows him to be a devastating threat rolling to the rim. His ability to stretch out to the 3-point line makes him one of the most versatile big men in the league.
Poaching Bamba in free agency would give the Spurs another franchise cornerstone to build around and free them up to find a trade partner for Jakob Poeltl (OG Anunoby, anyone?). He should be able to be had for a relatively team-friendly deal and would be a worthy gamble for San Antonio to pursue.
