2026-27 projection
| GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 8.0 | .460 | .650 | 0.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
- 9-cat: 230+; points: blocks handcuff; dynasty: 280-400.
- Role: fourth traditional center, outside the healthy 240-minute map for Utah Jazz.
- 2025-26 baseline: six total NBA games split between Toronto and Utah; his tiny sample is not a projection baseline. ESPN player stats, accessed 2026-07-18
Fantasy thesis
Utah signed Bamba to a two-year standard deal July 10, reportedly filling its final open standard spot. Nurkic, Hayes, Filipowski, and Jackson all stand between him and a dependable role. NBA movement data, accessed 2026-07-18 · Axios roster overview, 2026-07-13
Ceiling: multiple frontcourt absences create 18 minutes and blocks/threes streaming appeal. Floor: inactive on most healthy nights.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Texas, one season (2017-18): 12.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 3.7 BPG; All-Big 12 second team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Draft: 2018, round 1, pick 6, Orlando Magic.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 20 | ORL | 47 | 16.3 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | .481 | .587 | 0.9 |
| 2019-20 | 21 | ORL | 62 | 14.2 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | .462 | .674 | 0.7 |
| 2020-21 | 22 | ORL | 46 | 15.8 | 8.0 | 5.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 | .472 | .682 | 0.8 |
| 2021-22 | 23 | ORL | 71 | 25.7 | 10.6 | 8.1 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.5 | .480 | .781 | 1.1 |
| 2022-23 | 24 | ORL/LAL | 49 | 15.7 | 6.6 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.0 | .485 | .661 | 0.6 |
| 2023-24 | 25 | PHI | 57 | 13.0 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 | .490 | .680 | 0.7 |
| 2024-25 | 26 | LAC/NOP | 32 | 12.9 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.5 | .464 | .704 | 0.6 |
| 2025-26 | 27 | TOR/UTA | 4 | 11.0 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | .455 | .455 | 0.5 |
| Career | 368 | 16.7 | 6.7 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | .477 | .682 | 0.8 |
Note: the dossier's earlier claim of "six total NBA games" in 2025-26 is not supported — ESPN shows four (2 TOR at 3.0 MPG, 2 UTA at 19.0 MPG).
Durability: A rookie-year tibia issue and a 2023 high-ankle sprain dot the file, but the GP record (never above 71) mostly reflects a career of shrinking roles: five teams since 2023, a waive-and-resign cycle in early 2025 (traded to Utah February 1, waived next day, Pelicans 10-day in March), a brief Toronto stint (December 29, 2025 - January 6, 2026), then the Utah return.
Trajectory: The record is one good season surrounded by identical small ones: 2021-22 (25.7 MPG, 10.6/8.1, 1.7 blocks, 1.5 threes) proved the blocks-plus-threes per-minute profile is real, and no team since has given him more than 16 minutes to repeat it. Eight years in, he is what he was at 22 — around 1.3 blocks and 5.4 boards per 17 minutes with occasional spacing. In 2026-27 he is Utah's fourth traditional center behind Nurkic, Hayes and Filipowski. He becomes fantasy-relevant only if multiple Jazz bigs sit and he touches 18+ MPG, at which point he is an immediate blocks-and-threes stream — the one skill combination that has always survived his roster churn.
Career sources: StatMuse career by season · StatMuse career averages · ESPN player stats · Wikipedia
Open questions
- Was the two-year structure meant as genuine depth or future salary flexibility?
- Can Bamba overtake Hayes as the athletic backup center?