Potential Atlanta Hawks #1 Draft Pick: Marvin Bagley III vs Mohamed Bamba

Production

Bagley III

MB3 lead the ACC in FGs made FG%, 2 point FG%, and scoring. He was 1st in the ACC, and 5th in the country, in offensive rebounding. Marvin was also 9th in the nation, and 1st in the ACC, in rebounds per game. Bagley III was one of the most efficient players in the nation. His 30.6 PER, ranked 1st in the ACC, and 7th in the NCAA.

Stats

Bamba

Mo Bamba was an efficient player on offense. His 28.3 PER was 2nd in the Big 12. He was 7th in the Big 12, in 2 points FG%. Where Mo really excelled, was rebounding and shot blocking. Bamba was 1st in the Big 12 in rebounding. He was 3rd in the conference in offensive rebounding, and 1st on the defensive backboards. Mohamed was 1st in the Big 12, and 2nd in the NCAA in Blocks per game.

Stats

Advantage: Bagley III MB3 had far superior offensive production, while Bamba outclassed him at denying opponents shots. Rebounding is what really made the difference here, giving the edge to Marvin.

Post Offense

Bagley III

Post offense is one of the strengths of MB3’s offensive game. The majority of Bagley’s work is done on the low block and in the mid-post. Marvin has great footwork inside. He uses spins, drop steps, and up and under moves, most of which are designed to get him back to his strongside left hand. His left-hand jump hook, and sweeping hook are major weapons, that are complemented by a turnaround, fading jumper, over the opposite shoulder. He’s able to face up from the mid-post, and can hit the mid-range jump shot when given room. Bagley also unleashes his array of moves when facing up, and is often able to go by a slower defender. The major drawback to Bagley’s post game is he’s extremely left handed. MB3 often makes shots in traffic more difficult than they should be, by opting to not finish with his right hand. This leads to some unnecessary misses at point blank range.

Bamba

Post offense is not a strong suit for Mo Bamba. His hook shot is inconsistent. Bamba often struggles to finish through contact, due to his lack of strength. He has a tendency to use fitness, as opposed to powering up and extending with his length. Mohamed is still very raw as a post player and must improve his footwork at the next level. Mo Bamba does have the ability to turn and face up his defender and shoot the mid-range jump shot, taking advantage of his length. He’s also showed the ability to get by unsuspecting defenders, with a quick 1st step and throwdown, on occasion. The majority of Bamba’s offense inside comes off of catching and finishing as a roll man, or a lob target.

Advantage: Bagley in a landslide.