Biyombo Starting to Realize Potential

Despite inconsistencies, Bismack Biyombo is playing the best basketball of his career, giving fans reasons for optimism.

Against the Toronto Raptors this past Wednesday Bismack Biyombo drew two consecutive and-1 calls late in the 3rd quarter. Following the second he smiled, as if he had surprised himself. His teammates surrounded him, congratulating him while also looking a bit surprised as well. What Biyombo did wasn’t extraordinary; post players score while drawing fouls fairly routinely, but for Biyombo, scoring has been a struggle since entering the league. He would only finish with eight points against Toronto (2-6 from the free throw line largely a factor) but was 3-4 from the field, and totaling eleven rebounds. There is much to improve in Biyombo’s game, but this season he has shown at times the most encouraging play of his career.

Biyombo’s first two seasons in the league were full of inconsistency. For every great defensive play, like his game winning block against New Orleans his rookie year, there have been too many moments of offensive futility. Passing him the ball down low often resulted in a poor shot or even failing to catch the ball, to the point where Biyombo never expected the ball, even when wide open. Defensively he adjusted too slowly, often becoming lost when reacting to an offensive set. Scouts and team officials knew it would be a long term project with Biyombo, but poor offensive play combined with struggling with defensive rotation patterns had some starting to write in the bust label next to his name. Kemba Walker disagrees. “Man, he’s no bust.” In a interview with Henry Abbot of True Hoops TV, Walker defended Biyombo:

“Biz is a guy, you know, that does a lot of the small things that won’t show up in the stat sheet that people won’t understand. He’s a great teammate, he’s always in the gym, first one in, last one out. He blocks shots, he rebounds, he’s athletic. He may not be a flashy player, making a lot of the great plays that a lot of the other great bigs are doing, but when he first came in he was thrown right into the fire, even I wasn’t thrown into the fire like he was. He started right away, he was nineteen years old when he came in, he’s young, he’s still got a lot to show.”

It is important to remember that Biyombo didn’t play summer league or preseason ball due to the NBA lockout. For a player with such raw talent, and one making a huge leap in competitive play (going from Spain to the NBA), Biyombo received virtually no adjustment period. And with no veteran center to play behind, the Bobcats had no other choice but to start Biyombo when he was far from NBA ready. Walker on the other hand played behind DJ Augustin for much of that season, easing the pressure of having to do too much as a rookie. Biyombo’s second year saw slow, steady progress, but strong performances wouldn’t come until late in the season, particularly after the Bobcats traded for Josh McRoberts. Amazingly, the pairing seemed more in sync, as opposed to playing alongside Byron Mullens, who stalled offensive ball movement by taking too many shots from outside the arc.

This year signs of progress has been made, with preseason suggesting Biyombo is starting to realize his potential. Viewed as a role player after the Bobcats signed Al Jefferson, Biyombo found himself back in the starting lineup after Jefferson hurt his ankle. He would register two 20 rebound games in preseason, encouraging numbers even for preseason.

Through six regular season games, Biyombo has been stellar at home, averaging 8.7 points (73% FG), 10.7 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game in 34.3 minutes. On the road has been a different story. Biyombo averages just 1.7 points a game, while averaging a significantly lower 5.7 rebounds and only 0.7 blocks, playing only 20.3 minutes. Such inconsistency continues to plague him, but his rebounding numbers at home are impressive, a result of more aggressiveness and better positioning under the basket.

For Biyombo, it’s about focusing on his strengths: “My goal is to play defense, rebound the ball, block shots, protect the paint and let the other stuff take care of itself.” Focusing on strengths builds confidence, which could lead to unexpected benefits from the forward. Teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has done much of the same thus far, and it has resulted in a bright start to season.

For Biyombo, it’s about turning in better performances on the road. Against New York he only attempted one shot and finished with one point, six rebounds, and four turnovers. Against New Orleans he didn’t attempt a single shot. While not possessing a strong offensive game, such ineptitude affects how productive the Bobcats can be scoring the ball. Without a big man that can score from the block, the Cats are forced to rely too much on their perimeter play. Al Jefferson was brought in as a solution, but with him sidelined Biyombo must show a little more on offense. Ultimately, getting Jefferson back should  be beneficial for Biyombo, where his role will be centered around rebounding and playing defense. As a role player he should find more consistency.

What’s important to remember is despite his inconsistency it is still too early to have a final verdict on Bismack. Project big men tend to take 3-4 years to develop, such was the case with Larry Sanders and DeAndre Jordan. Biyombo hasn’t fully taken the next step yet, but he is getting ever closer, signaling to fans that it isn’t time to give up on Biz just yet.

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