Former Cal reserve Moute a Bidias has shot at NBA roster
Roger Moute a Bidias was confused when his iPhone lit up with a call from Rio Grande Valley Vipers general manager Travis Stockbridge.
It was around 8 p. m. last Thanksgiving, and Moute a Bidias had just returned to his McAllen, Texas, apartment from a turkey dinner with friends. Over the previous 2 ½ years, he charted an unlikely course from seldomused Cal reserve to G League starter. Man, Moute a Bidias thought, Travis must be trading me.
But during that brief phone conversation, Stockbridge explained that the Vipers — the Houston Rockets’ minorleague affiliate — were waiving Moute a Bidias to free a roster spot for someone else. This was tough to stomach even for someone accustomed to letdowns. Moute a Bidias was playing the best basketball of his life, which he has built upon since signing with the Santa Cruz Warriors in midJanuary.
His 16game stint last season with the G League affiliate made such an impression on Golden State’s front office that he was among the five Santa Cruz players invited last
month to the NBA club’s offseason minicamp. Over a twoweek span, Moute a Bidias, 25, showcased his defensive versatility, knocked down open jumpers and made a strong case for a trainingcamp invite.
League sources told The Chronicle that he has an outside shot to earn one of two twoway contracts next season with Golden State, which needs long, skilled wing defenders to help fill the void left by Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. If Moute a Bidias can’t land an NBA contract, he has proved enough in the G League to sign a lucrative deal overseas.
This is no small feat, considering that he had zero professional offers after averaging 1.7 points in 9.4 minutes per game over his fouryear Cal career. A soccer player in his native Cameroon, Moute a Bidias didn’t start organized basketball until he was 14. Now, little more than a decade into his hardwood odyssey, he is just beginning to tap into his potential.
“You’re talking about a guy who, if he had started playing when he was younger, would be a different player than he even is today,” said Cuonzo Martin, Moute a Bidias’ head coach for three seasons at Cal. “Even when he wasn’t playing a lot for us, I always felt like he could be a pro someday, whether that be in the NBA or internationally. He just needed the reps.”
The Warriors are no strangers to Moute a Bidias’ type of story. In recent years, Golden State gave 15man roster spots to Alfonzo McKinnie and Juan ToscanoAnderson, two highcharacter forwards whose underwhelming college stats didn’t reflect their pro potential.
The Warriors are on the hunt for wings with long arms, high motors and quick feet. At 6foot6, 206 pounds, Moute a Bidias boasts a 72 wingspan and an impressive vertical leap.
But just three years ago, he was barely on NBA scouts’ radar. Much of Moute a Bidias’ time at Cal was spent behind such future draft picks as Jaylen Brown and Jabari Bird on the depth chart. Though Moute a Bidias often made life difficult on more highly touted teammates in practice, he lacked the polish necessary to earn big minutes in the Pac12.
After he averaged 1.6 points per game as a sophomore, he strongly considered transferring for a chance at more playing time, only to stay because he valued the opportunities that a Cal degree would provide. Even as Moute a Bidias struggled to crack the Bears’ rotation, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he could compete with the best.
During summer pickup games in Los Angeles, Moute a Bidias outperformed some pros. In October 2017, after catching the attention of Raptors coaches during open gyms with Toronto guards Norman Powell and Delon Wright, Moute a Bidias received an invite to training camp for Raptors 905 — the franchise’s G League affiliate — and made the roster.
Two years marred by injury and inconsistent playing time later, Moute a Bidias was traded to Rio Grande Valley, where he earned a reputation as a defenseoriented wing. By the time Moute a Bidias received that painful call from Stockbridge on Thanksgiving night, he was averaging 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as the Vipers’ starting small forward.
“I had been there the year before and won a ( G League) championship with them, so getting cut didn’t even cross my mind,” said Moute a Bidias, whose older brother is longtime NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute. “But what can I say, man? The G League is an interesting place. Nothing really surprises me anymore.”
Toward the end of last season, after a blockbuster trade with Minnesota forced Golden State to dip into the G League and deplete Santa Cruz’s rotation, Moute a Bidias showed that he’s more than a defensive stopper. In a March 6 loss to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, he scored 24 points on 9for13 shooting.
His showing at Golden State’s recent minicamp reinforced some within the organization’s belief that he could be a worthy 14th or 15th man in the NBA. In addition to scoring within the flow of the offense, Moute a Bidias’ defense gave guard Klay Thompson difficulty at times during controlled scrimmages.
“The way the game is changing as far as positionless basketball, his measurables on the court really stand out,” Santa Cruz general manager Ryan Atkinson said of Moute a Bidias. “I don’t really know a ton about his situation at Cal, but I know this much: He looks like he belongs out there.”