Oregon MBB Lands Sharp-Shooting Guard from Villanova
Dana Altman keeps reloading this offseason. He’s had some great additions, kept some key pieces and adds yet another piece to the puzzle.
Thursday morning Altman landed Villanova transfer TJ Bamba per multiple reports. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 38-percent from three last year at Nova. Oregon lacked a consistent outside shorter outside of the departed Jermaine Couisnard last season.
Originally out of Denver, Bamba signed with Washington State as part of its 2020 class. He later transferred to Villanova before entering the transfer portal just a few weeks ago.
Ersin Demir has a full page breakdown of his game, you can find here. It includes video detail and explanations of all parts of his game. Here are three small excerpts from that page.
From that scouting report:
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.
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.
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.
