TJ Bamba Scouting Report
After receiving Pac-12 All-Conference honors, TJ Bamba transferred to the Big East. He will improve the Wildcats instantly with his slashing and defense. What's the NBA intrigue? Find out below.
In today’s NBA, it’s all about fit and offering multiple options to the coaching staff. Especially for older players, that’s a key element in getting drafted. TJ Bamba is an excellent slasher with solid handles that can guard up to three positions. He has a good frame which he uses actively in absorbing contact on both sides of the ball.
In terms of fit, Bamba has a chance to be an NBA-ready player off the bench if everything clicks at Villanova, where he’ll have enough opportunity to showcase he offers enough options to NBA teams. If the production matches the expectation, Bamba should convince decision-makers that he will not cost an NBA team too much offensive rating and that he can contribute immediately.
Physical Profile
At 6’5”, Bamba has a strong build with a solid frame. His good first step allows him to pop quickly and put enough pressure to get to the rim to either make the pass or go for the finish himself. With his 215 pounds, his body matured early. He has fluid hips and absorbs contact very well, which comes in handy in defensive box-outs or when he works inside the arc with the ball in his hands.
An early area of development is being too aggressive, leading to more personal fouls—more than 5.5 per 100 possessions in all three seasons at Washington State. At the NBA level, the intensity will increase, but regardless, it’s a thing to keep in mind for decision-makers when evaluating his profile.
Offense
Bamba’s usage increased to 27.5% in his junior year after it was around 20% when he was an underclassman. At the NBA level, the primary task will be to contribute as a slasher on the wing. A few things stood out, the most important one being his burst combined with Bamba using his physical tools and athleticism to his advantage.
This play is a good example of what to expect from Bamba in a bigger environment with tougher assignments. He keeps the ball high after receiving the pass and tries to manipulate the defender by keeping the passing option open.
Although the lack of spacing didn’t allow the pass to the top of the key to go through, the defender responded by keeping the driving lane toward the baseline closed, with Bamba utilizing the other side, making the defenders clog the painted area. The physical tools come into play with a beautiful absorption of the contact before the finish high off the glass.
As a decision-maker, Bamba shows that he reads the defense very well in terms of what they give him. After collecting the side pass, Bamba has to switch to his left to utilize the open driving lane to the hoop.
The physical tools again force the defense to help near the rim, opening the floor for the Cougars’ outside shooters. With a more-spaced NBA floor, Bamba should slide into the role of a floor-spacing win fairly quickly, especially because he drives with a plan at all times. In my evaluation, he never gave signs of being unprepared.
The Villanova Wildcats like to keep the ball moving, and that’s an area that fits with how Bamba creates advantages for others. During his three years at Washington State, he improved as a passer. With a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, the numbers indicate the contrary, but with Bamba being forced to carry the scoring load, the necessity to pass was less than it will be at Villanova.
In this particular play, we see an example of how Bamba’s excellent slashing ability leads to an easy two. He sells the defender the drive to the left, but being able to dribble-drive with both hands effectively makes him a bigger threat in plays like these.
By driving with his right, Bamba keeps the kick-out pass to the shooters as an option, while still attacking the rim at will. The subtle pump fake before the dump-off to the cutter was an important detail to show how well he reads the defense. With multiple paint touches being one of the fundamentals of winning basketball, it’s fair to expect that Bamba will be in a good position to showcase his passing and playmaking for others.
At the next level, the ball won’t be in Bamba’s hands as much. Therefore, being a good off-ball option is a must to maintain an NBA roster spot in the long run. What I like in Bamba’s game is that he’s an active off-ball screener who likes to use his strong frame to change assignments and match up with the interior defenders.
After the side pass, Bamba follows up with the down-screen to force the defense to switch. The immediate cut to the rim for the easy two points is a result of reading the offense well here. In my evaluation, I saw how Bamba often was used as the off-ball screener, especially as an underclassman before his usage went up in his junior year and he took the role of being one of the primary scorers.
In terms of the scalability of his game, the primary thing I like to see is how well a player does in isolation scoring. Although this will not be his calling card at the next level, NBA decision-makers always look for untapped potential to determine the value of the draft pick they are willing to give up for a player.
Bamba has great footwork and knows how to get to his spots with ease. The combination of soft touch at the rim and being able to bully defenders, especially in created mismatches, is an element of his game that gives me the confidence to say that Bamba can grow as a scorer in the long run.
In this particular play, Bamba uses his frame to win enough ground for the short-range fadeaway jumper to fall.
Three-point shooting is one of the most important elements of today’s NBA, therefore I couldn’t have left that aspect of his offense unnoticed. Bamba shot 37.2% on 148 attempts and was ranked in the 86th %ILE in efficiency on catch-and-shoot attempts, as per ShotQuality.
The release is high enough to limit the chances of being blocked by the defender closing out. Also, the follow-through and release look decent, but the form needs some improvement in the long run.
However, what I like to see Bamba improve is being always ready to launch the shot at all times. In the play above, Bamba had his back turned to the ball-handler for too long, with a more-paced NBA game, getting to your spots and going for the shot quickly is a must to survive as a catch-and-shoot option in the long run. That’s something Bamba has to do better at Villanova this year.
Defense
When looking at the defensive qualities, there are areas where Bamba shows he has all the tools to be a good defender at the NBA level. However, there are areas he has to clean up. In the play below, Bamba doesn’t look good in navigating through the screen, leading to the wide-open pull-up three.
At times, Bamba lowers the intensity with which he plays mostly in the latter stages of the game. This raises the question about his conditioning, something NBA decision-makers have to consider when evaluating his profile.
The areas that stand out in his defensive performances as he’s able to use his body to absorb contact to defend at the rim. The advantage here is that Bamba can switch both to stronger wings and can stay in front of most quicker guards. In the play below, Bamba plays with a ton of energy to come up with a hard contest at the rim. His avoiding the foul was a strong display.
Another area of development for Bamba is his positioning on the floor. At times, he’s playing near the rim too much, opening the risk of him being too late for closeouts, like in the clip below. In certain schemes, this doesn’t have to be a negative, but on a more-spaced NBA floor, plays like these will result in being benched earlier.
Villanova ranked 147th in points-per-play allowed on catch-and-shoot threes last season, as per ShotQuality. With Coach Neptune having to improve his perimeter defense, an opportunity to improve for Bamba is there for the taking.
To grow into a role as a reliable NBA defender, Bamba has to improve in avoiding fouling with the level of intensity. It’s a major grey area, because certain calls on the collegiate level won’t be called on an NBA floor, but the bigger picture shows that Bamba is too aggressive at times, and could be a target of opposing scouting reports.
In the play below, Bamba gets called for a foul after contesting the shot too hard. In crunch time in a tied game, that’s not a good place to give up two free throws and take the pace out of the game. In his defense, I like the intensity with which Bamba plays. It’s a testimony to his will to win, but managing the intensity with which he plays is another area of development for him.
NBA decision-makers should identify the things they have to work on fairly quickly, that’s why pointing out the negative aspects of a player’s defensive game is my primary goal. Looking at Bamba, the positives still outweigh the negatives. The intensity and well-thought decision-making show that he matured his game fairly quickly and will enter his senior year with a big task to show in a tough Big East environment.
As a point-of-attack defender, NBA teams will have a 6’5” switchable defender with a solid frame answering most moves opposing teams will throw at him. As a pick-and-roll defender, the ability to fight through screens must improve to fully tap into his potential in the long run. The play below summarizes where he’s at today, and what the expected positives are for him to add to the Villanova defense.
The last thing I want to point out is that Bamba should be a good rebounder at the next level. With 7.2 rebounds per 100 possessions in his junior year, Bamba shows he’s taking his fair share of rebounding tasks on his team. What I like is that he’s thriving ongoing for the contact and hard box-outs, which comes in handy as he’s likely going to switch on defense at the next level.
In the play below, the over-the-back call isn’t made, but regardless, I like the energy with which he dives for the loose ball. In terms of hustle plays, the intensity of good to see here. In terms of box-outs in general, Bamba doesn’t shy away from getting his hands dirty, something that good connecting pieces should have.
NBA Draft Projection
Teams know what they are getting with TJ Bamba. His slashing, handles, and decision-making are at a high level and the scalability of his game is promising. To be drafted, Bamba has to show he can continue producing at a high level. If he takes his role and improves Villanova offensively, it’ll be a key element of his draft stock.
As a defender, managing aggressiveness is something Bamba has to work on. Also, fighting through screens and improving as a screen navigator is a must to succeed at the next level. These are two early flags in his profile NBA decision-makers should take into consideration.
Bamba will be 23 years old on draft night and the NBA readiness will determine where he’ll land on draft night. If the above-mentioned areas of improvement get better in his senior year, I project Bamba to be a top 40 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.