Could Bismack Biyombo Become what Ben Wallace Was?

Anyone who has followed Trade Street Post for the past 4+ years will know that I have a special place in my heart for Bismack Biyombo.  I have argued his curious case since Charlotte drafted him 7^th in the 2011 NBA draft.  He had not started playing organized basketball until age 16, and in that short time, his raw athletic ability was viewed as quite impressive, and he started training in Spain after being discovered by the former Jordanian and Angolan and current Portuguese national team head coach, Mário Palma .  Biz had a brief stint in the professional league in Spain (Spanish ACB League) and later played for the World Select team against the USA Select Team where he recorded a triple double (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks).  That’s an impressive feat for a player with very little time on the court, playing organized basketball.

With all of that said, I will reiterate what I have been saying for the past 4 seasons.  Bismack Biyombo would start showing some promise around the 4^th year in the NBA.  I said it when they drafted him & I’ve said it every year since.  Here we are in year 4, and he continues to improve.  He’s added strength and his offense is improving, but his primary purpose is to grab rebounds and block shots.  This is why I’ve always thought of him being the next Ben Wallace.  Granted, Ben Wallace was an undrafted player, but he was a 4 time all-star.  You never know where an all-star can come from.

Why the Ben Wallace comparison?  Everyone knows that Ben Wallace was not known for racking up tons of points.  He was a defensive beast.  Does anyone remember his first 3 years in the league?  Probably not.  Those years were spent in Washington.  Those numbers weren’t memorable either.  Ben shot 48% from the field, 34% from the foul line, grabbed 4.93 rebounds per game, dished 0.27 assists per game, stole the ball 0.73 times per game, blocked 1.13 shots per game, and scored 3.4 points per game.   Bismack Biyombo’s numbers for the first 3 years of his career are as follows:

FG% = 51%

FT% = 51%

RPG = 5.97

APG = 0.30

SPG = 0.27

BPG = 1.57

PPG = 4.3

The only stat line in the first 3 years where Biz gets beat is steals per game.

So, when did Ben Wallace explode and become the defensive player that he is so well known for?  The Days of Detroit were the glory years.  In those days, Wallace’s numbers were as follows:

FG% = 48.1%

FT% = 42%

RPG = 12.9

APG = 1.6

SPG = 1.57

BPG = 2.77

PPG = 7.9

Now this occurred in Ben Wallace’s year 5 through 10.  I don’t believe that Biz will be a player to steal a ton of balls, but I do fully believe that he could approach the rebounds per game and blocks per game numbers.

How is Biz doing this season (season 4)?

FG% = 56.9%

FT% = 54.1%

RPG = 6

APG = .2

SPG = .2

BPG = 1.3

PPG = 4.6

The numbers aren’t stellar, but he has improved in every category except for his field goal percentage.  I think the drop there is because he has started taking a few more actual shots instead of just dunks.  I’ll take that.  With players on this team that can score the ball, Biz would be able to do what he does best; block shots and grab rebounds.  I don’t know that the cast that is around him is perfect for that just yet, but the Hornets are a young team and they are still growing as a unit.

Biz is a young guy and a hard worker.  Rich Cho saw that when he drafted him 4 years ago, and we are starting to see just what he could be come.  Could he become a Ben Wallace type player?  Time will tell.  I believe he could.  Maybe I’m showing favoritism, or maybe Biz will prove me right.  We’ll see.

Let’s Go Hornets!