I’ve had many arguments on Twitter about Bismack Biyombo’s actual value in relation to his perceived value that have resulted in me being unfollowed and, on a couple of occasions, even blocked. There’s no way around it: I am a Biyombo stan.
And for good reason.
The main knock on Biyombo is that he’s offensively inept, or that he doesn’t understand the very basics of basketball. While there’s certainly some truth to these notions — they have to be rooted in something, after all — they’re grossly exaggerated.
Biyombo turned the ball over on 16.5 percent of his touches last season, which seems good for a player lauded for being turnover prone. The more telling statistic, however, is that Biyombo touched the ball just 16.5 times per game despite playing 19.4 minutes per game. The Charlotte Hornets would, by choice, often freeze Biyombo out of the offense, and for the most part he accepted that. In fact, only 11.1 percent of Biyombo’s touches came from Kemba Walker, the team’s point guard, even though Walker made the fifth most passes per game in the entire league last season. So to some extent, Walker tried to mitigate Biyombo’s limitations by simply not giving him the ball.
There’s a reason for that. What you’ve heard is true: Biyombo’s hands are, shall we say, not great. He’ll fumble seemingly simple passes, especially on the move. He’s also more about force than finesse. You’ll see him throw up an air ball on what should be a rudimentary hook shot. He’s improved a lot in these areas since his rookie year, but he still has a long way to go.
But to suggest Biyombo offers nothing on the offensive end would be foolish. Much like Amir Johnson last season and to a lesser extent James Johnson, the majority of Biyombo’s contributions don’t show up in the box score. He’s perhaps one of the best screen setters in the league, for example. Because Biyombo spends a great deal of his time in the gym, he’s exceptionally strong as a result. He plants his feet with purpose, sees angles well, and has improved the timing of his screens considerably over the last few seasons.
Interestingly, because of his tremendous length and athleticism, teams respect him in the pick and roll despite his offensive ineptitude. He can get from the 3-point line to the basket in under three steps, and his long arms allow him to release the ball close to the rim even if he’s a few feet away from it. The defense subsequently tends to get sucked closer to the basket when Biyombo is involved in a pick and roll.
Actually finishing can be a legitimate challenge for Biyombo, but the fact that teams respect his ability to roll to the rim speaks to just how good he can be if he puts it all together.
Statistically, there is some evidence of Biyombo’s prowess in the pick and roll, too. The Hornets attempted 20.3 shots from behind the arc per 48 minutes with Biyombo on the floor — two more than their 18.3 attempts when he’s off — and made 4.3 percentage points more of them (34.7 percent on the floor versus 30.4 percent off). Should this trend continue with the Raptors, Biyombo will be a valuable piece when the team wants to spread the floor. Yes, you read that correctly: Biyombo does help spread the floor, albeit in a way seen less often than a few years ago.
Overall, Biyombo’s offensive impact was negligible. He posted an offensive rating of 97.5 last season, slightly below the Hornets overall at 97.7. The Hornets have never been a good offensive team since Biyombo was drafted, so this upcoming season with the Raptors will present new challenges and new opportunities for him. The Raptors are full of gunners — they finished last season fourth in points per game but 22nd in assists per game — which should allow Biyombo to exploit one of his other strengths: offensive rebounding.
Biyombo finished fifth in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes among players who played at least 1,000 minutes last season and flaunted an excellent offensive rebounding percentage of 13.4. Of his 101 made field goals last season, 14 were put backs off of offensive rebounds. He shot 82.4 percent on put backs overall, and again, with the Raptors firing up shots early and often, Biyombo will have plenty of opportunities to snag boards and hammer them home.
Don’t be misled: Biyombo is not and will likely never be a player you can rely on for 10 points per game. However, if you’re a bit more new school about how you approach offensive contributions, Biyombo will not disappoint. His defensive dominance is well documented, but his offensive impact is probably under-appreciated. To most fans and analysts, being a good offensive player means scoring points and assisting teammates. However, there’s so much more to offense than just those two things. You hear coaches, including Dwane Casey, talk about players doing things that don’t show up in the box score, or aren’t properly represented in the advanced metrics we have today. Biyombo is one of those players.
He’s not going to blow you away with sweet shimmies in the post or smooth jumpers from the elbow. That’s not his game. But what he will do is set monstrous screens, snag countless offensive rebounds, and infect his teammates with his relentless hustle.
And really, that’s exactly what the Raptors need.
