Chicago Bulls draft prospect: Mohamed Bamba

Until the NBA Draft lottery on May 15th, it’s tough to know who the Chicago Bulls should be looking at with their first pick. But if the ping-pong balls fall in the Bulls’ favor, should they take Mohamed Bamba?

Everyone (including myself) is talking about how badly the Chicago Bulls need a solid wing. But maybe their first pick in the draft isn’t the best place to find that piece. If the Bulls get lucky on May 15th and end up with a high enough draft pick to select Mohamed Bamba out of Texas, I think they’d be stupid not too.

I know Michael Porter Jr. and Mikal Bridges would be excellent options to take in the draft to fill the void at the three spot, but I think Mohamed Bamba is a once-in-a-generation type talent.

Bamba, the 7′ tall freshman from Texas with a 7’9″ wingspan has an insane body. Literally insane. His 7’9″ wingspan matches the wingspan of Rudy Gobert who currently has the longest wingspan in the NBA. Gobert is also likely going to be the Defensive Player of the Year this season.

Mo Bamba seems like he has Gobert talent with an even higher ceiling. In his freshman season, Bamba averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds to go along with an insane 3.6 blocks per game. If you’ve noticed, I’ve used the word “insane” a lot. I can’t think of a better word when describing this guy.

Here’s one clip demonstrating his rim protecting ability:

Mo Bamba would fit in with the Bulls perfectly. He won’t demand the ball or take shots away from the young core that’s already in place, and he can be that defensive anchor in the middle that every championship team tends to have (unless you have Lebron James on your team, then every other metric goes out the window).

I was already sold on Bamba as someone the Bulls should consider, but when this video surfaced on Twitter of Bamba knocking down nine straight threes with seemingly much better shooting mechanics, I almost lost my mind.

Unless you think Robin Lopez is the Center of the future for Chicago, then Bamba has to be the guy the Bulls take if he’s available.

The three spot will still be a focal point for the Bulls if they take Bamba, but there are other options. For example, Chandler Hutchison is an excellent prospect with starter potential that should be available when the Bulls are on the clock with their second pick. Or, as I mentioned in a different article, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Bulls give Jabari Parker a shot. He’s looked fairly good in his last few playoff games and with his improved shooting and fit next to Lauri Markkanen, he could definitely play the three.

Picture this lineup: Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Jabari Parker/Chandler Hutchison, Lauri Markkanen, Mo Bamba.

That’s a playoff lineup.

Next: Zach LaVine's biggest strength and biggest weakness

One last thing on Bamba, he has an incredibly vibrant personality that Bulls fans will absolutely love. Man, I can’t wait for May 15th.