2018 NBA Mock Draft: Promises, promises
Texas. Mohamed Bamba. 5. player. 79. . C
The team I would actually love to see Bamba end up with in an alternate universe is the Celtics — if they never trade for Kyrie Irving, I could see Boston sitting at No. 8 (Brooklyn’s pick), plotting for some way to get into the top five or six in order to grab Bamba. He makes sense in Dallas for many of the same reasons.
See him speak even once, and Bamba will impress you. Especially for someone who entered the season facing questions about his motor and passion, Bamba’s intelligent conversation about the game and his role in it is exciting. It gives you the impression of a player that will be successful as a professional and continue to grow as a person over the course of his career.
The reason the Celtics come to mind, of course, is that they have two notable free-thinkers in Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown, players who frequently speak their mind and are embraced by their Boston team.
Dallas, on the other hand, has Dirk Nowitzki at its core, the wizened, ageless Euro. Their coach is inventive, and they play in a big city with attention to spare. The Mavericks play in Cowboy country, but they are a historically successful team that competes every season.
Not only does Dallas need a center, I think it will embrace Bamba.