The NBA draft means something different for nearly every team. For some, its the chance to get that one missing piece of the championship puzzle, while for others it symbolizes a fresh start, with a brand new star to represent the reborn team. For the Bobcats, this past draft was the opportunity to continue their arduous and seemingly endless rebuilding process by adding some key young players, namely, Bismack Biyombo.
As I said in my season preview, Biyombo was drafted to be the defensive lynchpin of the Bobcats. Apparently, I was wrong, because it seems as if Biyombo was drafted to ride the bench. Biyombo has yet to play more than 25 minutes in a single game this season, despite numerous blowout losses.
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If the Bobcats were even in the background of the playoff picture, then not playing Biyombo would be excusable. But lets face it: this team is awful. They compete with the Washington Wizards for the title of worst team on a night-to-night basis, and often times win that dubious battle.
So why not play Biyombo?
One of the biggest knocks on him coming into the draft was how underdeveloped his game was, and judging by the previously listed negatives, this is a perception that still largely holds true. But the whole point of a project player is to develop them, and the Bobcats, in the midst of a lost season, have the perfect chance to give Biyombo as much real-game experience as he can take. It wont be pretty, and hell absolutely take his bumps along the way, but thats all part of the learning process.