CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers are two games into the preseason as they prepare for the 2023-24 season. There have been some really good moments as well as moments that show there is work to be done.
Mo Bamba, an addition in free agency, continues to work through growing pains with his new team. He has struggled to find a rhythm; he is shooting 23.1% from the floor through the first two games.
Coach Nick Nurse uses unorthodox schemes, so that can be tough if a player isn’t used to that style of play. The big man out of Texas needs to get himself ready to play in these preseason games.
“I wouldn’t say a sense of comfort,” Bamba said at practice on Friday. “I would say my sense of urgency just needs to be higher. Just being ready to play, being ready to dominate the details, but as far as just familiar faces and familiar offense, I think that’s starting to slowly become second nature.”
Bamba’s strengths are on the defensive end. He is one of the top shot blockers in the league and he is ready to make an impact on that end. Nurse’s aggressive defensive style allows him to play his game on that end of the floor.
“Absolutely,” Bamba added. “I just need to do a better job of knowing when to go. Just knowing when not to jump, just timing and all that.”
While it has been a slow start to the preseason for Bamba, it is just the preseason and it is just a start. One has to assume that he will be able to find a way to turn things around and move forward.
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