INGLEWOOD — When you are 7-foot tall and weigh 231 pounds, making an impact isn’t difficult. Just walking through a door can change a basketball team’s expectations.
Yet, when Mo Bamba, the Clippers’ new backup center, checked into Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz, few expected what they witnessed.
In his season debut, Bamba contributed nine points on 4-of-8 shooting with one free throw, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one turnover in a solid victory against the Jazz.
Bamba had a less flashy three points, two rebounds and two steals in seven minutes one night later in the Clippers’ 102-99 victory on Monday against the Golden State Warriors.
“It was good. It was really good,” Bamba said of his first game. “I told myself out there today it wasn’t going to be a matter of making shots or scoring. It was going to be just trying to get extra possessions and things of that nature.”
Since joining the Clippers in the offseason, Bamba has been sidelined because of a chronic knee injury that flared up before training camp. He said it’s the same problem he dealt with last season with the Philadelphia 76ers but managed to play through it.
Bamba figured he would follow the same treatment with the Clippers, but the team’s medical staff had other plans and shut him down for the first month. He then went to the G League to get game action.
“It was annoying but it’s not one specific injury,” Bamba said of his knee. “I kept getting this pocket of fluid in my knee and it was frustrating because we couldn’t figure out why it was happening. Now, though, we have a plan to manage it moving forward.”
Now back on the court, Bamba gives the Clippers a mix of defensive skill, size and scoring ability, not to mention someone who can give starting center Ivica Zubac a breather. Zubac has been averaging 34.1 minutes, up from 26.4 minutes last season.
“What felt easy was just meshing with the guys,” Bamba said. “I’ve played with a lot of the guys in the early stages of when I signed, like the Rico (Hines) runs, so they know my game a good amount.
“But it’s just different at this level. For things to mesh as quickly as they were able to, it was pretty positive. I think on the flip side of that, I think the second unit needs to do a better job of coming in and just dominating the little things.”
Bamba didn’t give himself a thumbs-up after his Clippers debut. He said he thought his shot was flat and his timing on blocked shots needed work, but his rebounding felt strong.
“Normally when I miss time and I come back, my rebounding timing is a little off, but today I was just aggressive with going to meet the ball,” he said.
Despite his layoff, Bamba is eager to kickstart his uneven career.
Bamba was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2018, where he averaged 8.9 points and 6.1 rebounds over four-plus seasons. He was traded to the Lakers after being involved in two on-court altercations. He appeared in 10 games before being waived and signing a one-year deal with the Sixers, where he played alongside Joel Embiid.
Unlike his former teammate, Bamba plans on playing in all games if needed, even back-to-backs. He even took a playful jab at Embiid, who has stated he will not play in both games of back-to-backs this season.
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“I’m not Joel. I’m going to die on my shield if I have to,” Bamba jokingly told Clutch Sports. “There’s definitely a plan in place. I think there was a bit of a restriction here, but I didn’t hit those minutes.”
The Clippers will resume their heavy schedule Wednesday against the Orlando Magic at Intuit Dome, their third of four home games this week and 10th in the past 17 days. They close out the homestand Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
Orlando at Clippers
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Intuit Dome
TV: FDSNSC