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Bismack Biyombo signs with Raptors – are we happy?

By Brian Boake

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Apr 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Bismack Biyombo (8) reacts after a call during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 116-77. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The news of the signing of Bismack Biyombo by the Toronto Raptors was another surprise delivered by shockmeister GM Masai Ujiri. Biyombo, a 6’9″, 235 lbs. centre-forward, was not offered a contract by his drafting team, the Charlotte Hornets, so Ujiri got him for 2 years and $6M.

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One can certainly understand why Charlotte decided to move on from Biyombo. He was their first-rounder in 2011 (via Sacramento), #7 overall, and has completely failed to develop as a participant on offense. Note I said “participant”; he can’t shoot, but they might have stuck with Biyombo had he at least managed to pick and pass at a big-league level. The fact that they selected Biyombo when talents like Brandon Knight, Klay Thompson, Nikola Vucevic and Kawhi Leonard were still on the board has to make his bellyflop all the more galling.

Biyombo has remained in the NBA strictly because of his defensive skills, which are considerable. The young man (he’s only 22) can jump out of the gym, and uses that capability to rebound and block shots at a solid rate. His Per-36-Minutes projects double figures in rebounds, and almost 3 blocks. He won’t approach that usage on our team unless we’re riddled with injuries.

Raptors coach Dwane Casey loves defense, and will find minutes for Biyombo given how height-challenged the roster is. The difficulty arises when crafting for Biyombo a role on offense such that he can draw a modicum of defensive attention. Otherwise the Raps’ second unit will be playing 4-on-5, and that’s hellish. Biyombo doesn’t have a shooting range, since he takes almost no shots that aren’t slam dunks or putbacks. He’s never attempted a 3-ball. He can be fouled with impunity, as he’s never come close to a 60% success rate from the charity stripe.

All the negativity aside, getting Biyombo to Toronto was a smart move. He’s cheap by today’s standards, and his contract is short. I don’t like specialists, whether stretch-fours or good-without-the-ball types like Bismack, but he won’t be in the starting lineup. Ideally he can start the second unit’s fast break with a blocked shot directed to a guard, or with an outlet pass following a defensive rebound. If our rotation guys can score in transition, Bismack won’t need to run the floor nearly as much. We don’t want him in a half-court set where he’ll just gum up the spacing.

There’s no whispers of Biyombo being a problem child in the locker room. He speaks five languages, so must be a bright man. Let’s welcome our first player from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Toronto.

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