ORLANDO – Draft night is just the start of the basketball journey for many NBA players. And it’s also just the beginning of many meetings with the media.
After a night filled with interviews, a flight out to their new hoops home and an introductory press conference, NBA rookies still have rounds to make on the media circuit, as do the basketball personnel that had a hand in drafting them.
Here are some of top show stops the Magic rookies and basketball staff have made over the last few days:
Mo Bamba on The Jim Rome Show
Jim Rome: “When I look at your game on the floor, you’re already an incredible defensive presence to the point that you’ve already been frequently compared to Rudy Gobert, which is incredibly high praise. In fact, what do you think when you hear that comparison?”
Mo Bamba: “That means people think very highly of me, because Rudy is a guy, who is probably going to be Defensive Player of the Year – we’ll find that out tonight. But he’s a guy who impacts the game in a way that no one else impacts it. So if I can be compared to him and many people see this in my game then it means the world to me.”
Jim Rome: “The fact is defense is something that requires a lot of work and a lot of effort to the extent that a lot of guys just don’t want to do it. Let’s face it, it’s just not a lot of fun. But, you’ve tried to master it early in your career, why is that something that’s so important to you?”
Mo Bamba: “Defense isn’t fun? I don’t understand why. The way defense impacts the game, it impacts the mentality of the people that you’re playing against. Ultimately, the game comes down to scoring. And when someone can’t score, they’re all in their head figuring out different things to do. And when you have someone out of their game and take them out mentally, there’s no better feeling than that.”
Mo Bamba on ESPN Afternoons with Scott Anez
Scott Anez: “The Orlando Magic have had six straight losing seasons, obviously. There are some people here in Orlando down on our Magic right now. I know you’d like to turn that around both locally and nationally, wouldn’t you?
Mo Bamba: “Absolutely. I’m not going to sit here and be the rookie that says ‘we’re going to win championships tomorrow,’ because I haven’t experienced anything in this league as far as the 82-game grind. I do feel as if we’re going to be successful given how hungry this team, this year’s roster is.”
Scott Anez: “What does a frontline look like with Mohamed Bamba, Jonathan Isaac, and possibly Aaron Gordon if he comes back as a restricted free agent? That’s a pretty darn good defensive frontline, isn’t it Mo?”
Mo Bamba: “Absolutely. But what people don’t really know is how versatile that frontline is as well. Aaron can really handle it, really play make. Jonathan can really shoot it and play make for himself. I can’t wait to show what I can do.”
Mo Bamba on The Doug Gottlieb Show
Doug Gottlieb: “What’s that moment like to get that (draft) call?”
Mo Bamba: “I didn’t find out till the pick, till the cameras that came over. I had a pretty good idea that they were maybe going to pick me. (Laughter) But like I said, words can’t really explain how I felt.”
Doug Gottlieb: “There’s this other thing about Orlando, right? It’s the place where Hall-of-Fame big guys get started: Shaq, Dwight Howard, now Mo Bamba. Have you thought about that connection?”
Mo Bamba: “I have not. (Laughter) I’m honestly just joking. Obviously, I know the history of the organization with Shaq and Dwight. But what people don’t really see is when you peel a layer back those guys really had a unique personality and that’s something I’m hoping to bring to this city.”
Doug Gottlieb: “There’s been a ton of discussion about Deandre Ayton – he’s gone No. 1 overall – and what I said was like I think he’s great in the low-post, he can shoot outside, but you’re actually more fluid outside. And some believe, you have a greater ceiling in the NBA. How competitive are you with Ayton specifically and with a couple of the other big guys as we go forward in the league?
Mo Bamba: “Well, me and Deandre have been playing against each other since we were in high school. He can even attest for it, those have been some of the best games to watch and how much we competed. Those were truly battles. I’m 4-0 against him. (Laughter) But they’ve been battles and he really brings out the best in me and I believe I really bring out the best in him.”
Justin Jackson on The Basketball Show
TBS: Does it seem real yet?
Justin Jackson: Honestly Paul, it’s a crazy feeling. I don’t even know how to explain it. Honestly, I’m just in total shock and awe that all my hard work finally paid off. The countless hours I’ve been in the gym, the countless amount of blood, sweat and tears that I had to put into this dream, just to hear my name being called, it’s crazy.
TBS: “What do you think you need to do now to get yourself ready for the fall? Now, you’re going to be, I’m assuming, playing in the summer league this year? Talk about the next few months and what they’re going to look like for you.
Justin Jackson: “The next few months are very pivotal. It’s very, very important that I lock in and key in on a lot of the details. Just hard work, trying to be a good teammate, trying to be a good player, trying to represent this organization as well as possible. And these next few months are really just going to get me acclimated and accustomed to being an Orlando Magic player. I’m out here right now just looking at the practice gym just thinking how many hours I’m going to have to spend in here in order to really make my dream possible. Right now, being drafted and getting your name called is just step one. But these next couple months are very, very important if I want to make it to where I actually want to be at.”
Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman on The Finish Line with Jerry O'Neill and The Shot Doctor
Jerry O’Neill: “Tell us who you get in the sixth pick, Mo Bamba?”
Jeff Weltman: “Wow, I think we just lucked out. Sometimes, better lucky than good, I guess. We got a kid who has unlimited potential to fit into the way the NBA is evolving in a way that very few players can and he matches that with intelligence and character. It’s just so exciting to think of the player and person that he’s going to grow up to be. I think the city will really fall in love with him.”
Shot Doctor: “Go back to Mo Bamba’s game. I know you guys worked him out and must have been very impressed. But talk about his game and what you think he can become, even two or three years down the road, looking kind of long term at this whole thing.”
Jeff Weltman: “Yeah, there’s so many comps these days. I don’t know if you want to play the comp game, but I would say if you look at his physical dimensions, the name Rudy Gobert comes to mind, who is the best defensive player in the league. And then, you look at this kid’s offensive ability and burgeoning skillset, he’s a shooter, he has a basketball IQ, he’s just kind of outgrowing that cultish phase physically. He’s not even close to resembling the player physically or mentally that he’s going to be in a few years. The combination of all of those things is kind of scary.
Jerry O’Neill: “What’s ahead for (Melvin Frazier Jr. and Justin Jackson), given an opportunity to make this club?”
Jeff Weltman: What’s ahead for them is work. I think that the talent that they have, the character that they have, the work will take care of that. We’ll kind of get to that with their agents in the next week or two and let them get through this summer and see how our coaches feel about where they are and their own curves. But they are both very talented guys. We were very surprised that Frazier was there at 35. We had him higher on our board. Justin, we were not surprised, but we kind of had him tagged as a guy that our scouts felt was a potential Top 20 pick coming into this season. And then he got hurt, kind of out of sight, out of mind. We look at him as a guy that shouldn’t have been there at 41. So both of those guys have work cut out for them. We’re going to devise a program for them for the summer and we’ll kind of let that play itself out. But we’re excited for both of them. I think they’re both NBA players and hopefully guys that can help our team.
Magic Head Coach Steve Clifford on Open Mike
Brandon Kravitz: “I was impressed with the way first round pick Mo Bamba handled himself with the media on Friday. I’ve said many times now, ‘I think that he’s going to be a fan favorite here in Orlando in very short order.’ Were you impressed with how composed he was, especially given what he had been through the last 24-48 hours? Just an absolute whirlwind of an experience. Your thoughts on the way he handled himself?”
Steve Clifford: “Oh, absolutely. Very bright, perceptive guy, I think a lot of personality, and also I think very focused, determined player. So I think that there’s so much there to like and be excited about.”
Brandon Kravitz: “What do you think a Mo Bamba lineup looks like?”
Steve Clifford: “I think at the defensive end of the floor, he can drop more in pick-and-rolls, which allows everyone to stay home and makes your 3-point defense much, much easier for everybody else involved, a la Utah like they do with Rudy Gobert and what Miami does with (Hassan) Whiteside. It simplifies things for everybody else, which is a great quality to have. And then, like I said, at the offensive end of the floor I think he can have a multi-dimensional pick-and-roll game where he can flare and hit the jumper or drive close-outs, but he can also roll with speed, which either collapses the defense and opens things up on the perimeter or he’ll be a lob threat. So, it will start with that. I think we’ll get an initial glimpse of things at summer league and then, again, it’s an everyday evaluation and then making good decisions about the best plan for him to make progress going forward.”