[imagesource:  Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images]

The action in the NBA may take place out on courts in the arenas of the United States, but the association welcomes players from all around the world. One part of the world that has supplied some awesome basketball-playing talent has been Africa, with players from Sudan, Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and other countries all stepping onto courts in the NBA and contributing to the excitement the association generates.

In this post, we profile Congolese centre Bismack Biyombo, who returned to the Charlotte Hornets in 2018 after spells with Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors. 

Where it all began

A coach had spotted Biyombo at a youth game in Yemen and invited him to train out in Spain. There he’d started to cut his basketball-playing teeth on the courts in several Spanish leagues before breaking into the NBA in 2011, when the Sacramento Kings picked him in the seventh draft. 

However, his time at the Kings was incredibly short-lived. The team traded his rights in a draft night trade and, before he knew it, he’d signed for the Charlotte Bobcats, who would later rename themselves the Charlotte Hornets, in December 2011.

Life on the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2011-15) 

From 2011 to 2015, Biyombo performed his first stint with the Bobcats/Hornets and posted respectable free throw percentages, and decent defensive rebound and rebound stats, throughout that time. 

The 2013-14 season is one he may prefer to forget. Whereas things had been going well in his first two seasons of service to the team, he fell out of favor with the head coach, Steve Clifford, and his production deteriorated to an average of 2.9 in 13.9 minutes per game.

The following season went better for Biyombo, even though he missed several games at the start, which was mainly due to the arrival of Jason Maxiell, who joined the team during the 2014 off season. An injury to center Al Jefferson created an opportunity for Biyombo to stand in and win a place back on the team. Unfortunately for the young player, however, the Hornets had made their mind up: Biyombo would be leaving them at the end of the season.

Serving the Raptors (2015-16) and the Magic (2016-18) 

In July 2018, Biyombo signed on the dotted line for the Toronto Raptors. He played in their opener against Indiana Pacers on October 28 and from mid-November through to late December, played 18 games straight. In mid-March, he’d be called up from the bench again, following an injury to Valančiūnas which kept the player out. 

Biyombo made a superb contribution to the Raptors, averaging 6.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 25.3 minutes in the team’s 20 playoff games. Although he wished to continue with the club, the re-signing of Demar DeRozan left no salary cap space to make it happen. 

So Biyombo knocked on the doors of the Magic, who snapped him up on a four-year deal. Although he scored several season highs with the Magic, Biyombo might not consider his time there brilliant. The bad start he got off to by missing the first game through suspension for an excessive number of fouls in the playoffs may have been a warning he missed of how well his time would go. 

In 2018, Biyombo returned to the Hornets, where he’s continued until going into free agency this summer. 

Can the Hornets win the NBA?

Sportsbooks like DraftKings suggests the Hornets are huge outsiders to even qualify for the playoffs. One particular area which could be impacting the odds is how prone to injury The Hornets appear to be. They got off to a fine start in the 2021-21 season, but injury soon raised its ugly head and caused the team complications, derailing their pleasing progress. 

The other issue is the departure of Devonte Graham, Malik Monk, Caleb Martin and Cody Zeller, which has left holes to fill. But the arrival of Wes Iwundu from the Pelicans and Mason Plumlee from the Pistons, plus, on the draft, Kai Jones (via the Knicks), JT Thor (via the Pistons) and James Bouknight (11th overall) and Scottie Lewis (56th overall) could set things right.

Iwundu is a well-rounded player who plays intelligently at both ends of the court and, since he’s very under-rated, could pull off some highly impactful surprises. Defensively, he’s strong and versatile but he’s also worked hard to improve his attacking game and can hit a three-pointer. His passing is accurate, too. 

Fellow signing agile Mason Plumlee is agile, with quick feet that allow him to power up the court and accumulate high percentage buckets rapidly. He’s also a tremendous leaper and finisher, he’s strong on the rebound and his stubborn defensive play makes life miserable for anyone attacking the team’s basket. Combine all this with solid passing and the spirit of a team player and you have a player that will serve the team well in Biyombo’s place.

Bismack Biyombo has had a more powerful impact on some teams than on others, which, eventually, saw him return to the Charlotte Hornets, even though he may have wished to remain with the Raptors. This summer set him on the lookout to offer his services to a new team. The Hornets would be sad to see him go.