Why Bamba and his record-setting wingspan don't fit current NBA trend

The NBA draft is unpredictable by nature, but there is some level of certainty in the fact that teams tend to copy their rivals' success.

That's how Darko Milicic and Nikoloz Tskitishvili became top-5 picks in the years after Dirk Nowitzki blew up.

This year, teams will be looking for more Jaylen Browns and Jayson Tatums. Those two players, in their second and first NBA seasons, have helped push Boston to a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

The problem is there aren't many athletic wings in this year's draft, which is why Michael Porter Jr. figures to be off the board by the time the Bulls pick at No. 7.

Porter measured 6-foot-10 ¾ at this week's draft combine and is a perimeter player, so he probably has more in common with Philadelphia's Ben Simmons, but that's another hot name at the moment.

Utah surprised many by reaching the second round of the playoffs, but that had more to do with rookie guard Donovan Mitchell than long-armed center Rudy Gobert.

So teams aren't as likely to get excited about a player with a longer wingspan than Gobert. That would be Texas' Mo Bamba, whose wingspan was measured at 7-feet-10. According to ESPN, that's the longest wingspan in NBA Draft Combine history.

“I'd say my biggest strength right now, just one word to summarize it all, is just my presence,” Bamba told reporters at the draft combine, which is being held at Quest Multisports on Chicago's West Side. “Both offensively and defensively, the presence that I have is pretty profound. I don't think any other prospect has this presence.”

Height-wise, Bamba is just over an inch shorter than Gobert. The New York City native was measured at 7-0 ¾ in shoes this week. Gobert was third in the league in blocks this season at 2.3 per game, behind Anthony Davis and Kristaps Porzingis.

Bamba averaged 3.7 blocks during his lone season at Texas and promised that part of his game will be rolling from the time he steps on an NBA court.

“One difference between me and the other prospects in this class, if I'm plugged into the NBA right now, I really feel as if I can be one of the best rim protectors in the league, as a rookie,” Bamba said. “This is something I really tried to master early in my career and it's only going to get better.”

Based on the reasoning above, it's probably more likely Bamba falls to the Bulls than Porter Jr. It's possible teams could get nervous about the back injury that kept Porter sidelined for most of the college season, but he said the surgery made him feel better than he has in three years.

If the first five players drafted are DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Porter, Orlando would be up next at No. 6. The Magic already have a couple of high-priced big men in Bismack Biyombo and Nikola Vucevic, who haven't supplied many wins, so a guard like Oklahoma's Trae Young or Alabama's Collin Sexton might be a better fit for Orlando.

At that point, in theory, the Bulls could snag their small forward in Villanova's Mikal Bridges, who did not speak to reporters at the combine, or gamble on a big-man revolution.

The biggest knock on Bamba is his offensive game needs a lot of work and he may not move well enough to be a true perimeter threat, the big man who can shoot the 3 and switch onto smaller players defensively.

The only big man playing a key role in the NBA playoffs was Davis, who led New Orleans into the second round. But Bamba will get his chance to display his potential to teams during pre-draft workouts. On Thursday, he said he expects to hit 3-pointers, drive to the basket and successfully switch onto smaller opponents in the NBA.

“I think I'm going to surprise a lot of people with how much feel I have for the game,” Bamba said. “It's something I've been working on, I'm about 8 weeks into pre-draft work.

“One specific thing I need to work on is playing lower. When you play lower, you tend to be more explosive when you're exploding up and finishing through contact and those kind of things. That's something I've been working on extensively.”

Bamba could bring unprecedented length, but he doesn't fit the NBA's successful trend.

• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls.