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Free Agency: Bismack Biyombo Worth a Look for Mavericks

By Jay Knodell

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Now a free agent, 22-year old Bismack Biyombo could be a fit with the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks need a backup big man capable of defending the rim and working the glass no matter who mans the starting center spot on opening night. After losing Brandan Wright to the Boston Celtics in December they tried Greg Smith, Dwight Powell, and Amar’e Stoudemire as Tyson Chandler‘s backup with predictable results.

That’s gotta change, especially if Tyson Chandler is back playing around 30 minutes a night.

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To be fair, Stoudemire performed pretty well on the offensive end and played really hard in Dallas’ playoff series against the Houston Rockets. But it’s Amar’e. He provides little to no resistance against penetrating ball handlers and is not exactly an imposing figure at the rim.

What the Mavericks need is a youthful, “energy big” capable of serving as a mistake-eraser for his teammates and a consistent presence on the boards.

Someone like Bismack Biyombo, who recently found out he’ll be a free agent on Wednesday. From Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski:

It’s safe to say Biyombo has been a disappointment to fans in Charlotte since being drafted 7th overall in 2011’s NBA Draft, but his free agency is coming on the heels of his best season in the league.

In only 19.4 minutes a game in 2014-15 Biyombo pulled down 6.4 rebounds and blocked 1.5 shots. That’s close to 12 rebounds and 3 blocks per-36 minutes. For comparison: in 18.7 minutes a game for the Mavericks in 2014-15 Brandan Wright averaged 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

Biyombo will never be a scorer, even in the way Wright was for the Mavericks, but his hands have improved and at only 22-years old he is still learning how to get the most out of his freakish athleticism. It’s not crazy to think that Rick Carlisle could maximize his talents the way he did with Wright, another top-10 pick, who really turned his career around in Dallas.

A lot depends on how things shake out in free agency for the Mavericks and the market for Biyombo, but he could be a great fit in Big D.

Check out the highlights from his 2014-15 season:

Next: DeAndre Jordan or LaMarcus Aldridge?

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