The most important player on each and every NBA team this season

By Ti Windisch | Aug 28, 2018

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defended by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 12: Mo Bamba #5 of the Orlando Magic dances during the 2018 NBA Rookie Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Center in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Orlando Magic — Mo Bamba

This one is such a toss-up. The Orlando Magic are one of the unfortunate NBA franchises without an established franchise player around. Aaron Gordon might qualify by default, and he just got a nice payday this offseason, but Gordon is not enough to make Orlando competitive.

Jonathan Isaac might be, eventually, and his rookie season was solid. Instead of either of those two, or Evan Fournier or whatever, let’s go with the Magic player with a literally high ceiling: Mo Bamba.

Bamba is a question mark at the NBA level, which is an exciting thing for Magic fans. There’s a chance that Bamba becomes an elite talent someday. Even if that chance isn’t likely, it’s hope. That matters for the Magic.

The sixth overall pick shouldn’t have all that much pressure on him, mostly because there are virtually no expectations in Orlando. The Magic are floundering and have been for a while now. That stinks for Orlando fans, but it works to Bamba’s advantage. He should be able to make mistakes without too much negative attention heaped on him.

Bamba is the new future of the Magic. Thanks to Gordon and Isaac that burden is not on him alone, but he still is the most important Magic player. Unfortunately that still makes him relatively unimportant around the league for the moment, but Bamba will still have a chance to develop into an impact player.

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