Bismack Biyombo won’t ever live up to the expectations that accompanies his status as a former eighth overall pick of the NBA draft. As long as the powerful, explosive Charlotte Hornets big man sticks to his strengths, though, there’s no reason why he can’t carve a niche in the league for years to come.
And he certainly did just that on this massive hammer dunk right through the Indiana Pacers’ Ian Mahinmi. There just aren’t many players in the world who can stymie Biyombo when he attacks the rim with aerial assaults like these. Not only is the 22 year-old a chiseled 245 pounds with long arms, but he’s an effortless two-footed leaper, too. This isn’t the first time this season we’ve seen him sky for a huge dunk, after all.
Biyombo is a restricted free agent this summer, and his play down the stretch of the season – and perhaps the playoffs, should Charlotte grab one of the East’s final seeds – will prove instrumental to his worth on the semi-open market. He fills an important need off the bench for the Hornets as a stylistic foil to Al Jefferson, and has been one of the most impactful defenders on Steve Clifford’s roster.
But if an opportunistic team senses a chance to slightly overpay and steal him, will Charlotte match the offer sheet? Biyombo would be a big loss from a schematic perspective, but is still playing less than 18 minutes per game this season – some franchises believe fourth big men are easily replaceable. Do the Hornets?
Time will tell. For now, Biyombo just needs to focus on dunking and shot-blocking his way to being a consistently impactful player over the season’s stretch run.
[Vine via James Herbert]