On Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers signed twenty-five-year-old Center Mo Bamba. Bamba is 7 feet tall and has a 7’10” wingspan. Bamba will return to where he went to high school at Weston Friends School. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the 76ers were struggling in height off the bench, and the Sixers not only need someone as a starter to step up as a leader but also someone coming off the bench to lead the second unit. Since entering the NBA in 2018 as a lottery pick with the Orlando Magic after a one-and-done season at the University of Texas, Bamba struggled to find his footing with Orlando. His best season came back in 2022 when he averaged 10.6 points per game and 8.1 rebounds and shot 78.1 percent from the free throw line. He played in a career-high 71 games and started in 69 of them. However, this past season Bamba lost his starting role with the Magic to Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner, who took over in the center spot. 

So how will Bamba fit in with the 76ers? Well, a couple of years ago, a video surfaced of Joel Embiid and Mo Bamba going one-on-one, and Embiid got the best of Bamba.

https://twitter.com/_itsnotmatt/status/1676750099714568193?s=20

In the video, you can see when Embiid finished with the dunk he had a little something to say to Bamba. Perhaps, Bamba can light that spark back into Embiid, who has been criticized as of late for not stepping up in big games. The two will be going against each other a lot this off-season, and Embiid even served as a mentor to Bamba early on in his career, according to John Clark. Maybe, the acquisition of Patrick Beverley, who the 76ers signed last week, will do the same for the Sixers as well.