Open Thread: Bismack Biyombo is making a case to finish the season with the Spurs
The big man has found his footing in the struggling Spurs line-up
It goes without saying that losing Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season was (a) unexpected, and (b) a huge blow to how Spurs saw the season ending.
The Silver & Black weren’t going to win a title, but they were making advancements as a team and their leader appeared to be a shoo-in for the Defensive Player of the Year.
If sidelining Wemby wasn’t enough to disrupt the team’s flow, Charles Bassey has been in and out of the rotation with a nagging knee injury. And the Spurs traded away Zach Collins as part of the deal that brought De’Aaron Fox to town.
This leaves Sandro Mamukelashvili as the lone big man. And Acting Head Coach Mitch Johnson has utilized Mamu in small stints, but has often opted for a small ball configuration with Jeremy Sochan as the defensive anchor.
Before the All-Star Break, the Spurs signed Bismack Biyambo to a ten-day contract. The Congolese big man was drafted seventh overall in 2011. He’s previously played for six other NBA franchises but was on the outside looking in this season until the Spurs came calling.
With the first ten-day contract, Biyombo did not play, but since the announcement of Wemby’s deep vein thrombosis, the thirty-two year old signed a second ten-day contract and has been starting. That contract expires on March 2nd as the Spurs return home from the Rodeo Road Trip.
The NBA limits teams to two ten-day contracts to evaluate a player. After that, they must sign Biyombo or release him.
Since the All-Star Break, Biyombo has started in five games. He tallied double-doubles in both games in New Orleans. He’s shown he can defend, and his pick-and-roll capabilities fit right in with the veteran guards.
He had limited minutes in the blow out loss against the Houston Rockets, which begs the question — could Biyombo make a greater impact?
If he were to sign on with the Spurs for the remainder of the season, could his veteran presence paired with size and strength give the Spurs a boost in their development and retooling?
Mitch Johnson said, “It’s nice how quickly he’s integrated into this offense,” and praised his physicality as a defender.
We’ll know in a matter of days.
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