It regularly happens that certain physical profiles quickly win the hearts of fans before they reach the NBA. Either because of their size or their dimensions, these youngsters earn the nickname of promises or diamonds for what they could deliver if all went well. Some of them end up proving to be busts, getting picked at relative positions in the Draft, and others take a few years to blossom. Could this be the case for Bol Bol?
The son of the legendary Manute Bol arrived with more expectations than reality. Without a doubt, the Sudanese was a unique figure like no other: 2.18 meters tall (7-2 feet), 2.34 wingspan (7-5 feet) and the movement speed of a small forward. In fact, his only NCAA run suggested he could become a sensation thanks to his 21-point average at Oregon.
subscribe to NBA League Pass to see all matches: United States | The rest of the world
ONE publicity excessive which prevented many from seeing the real problem: his physique was not prepared for professionalism. The injuries He’s been Bol Bol’s main partner since the 2019 Draft and barely managed to play 61 games in four seasons. A situation that came to question his future in the NBA, more so after the transfer that led him Orlando Magic in 2022. It’s not until the start of the 2022-2023 season that the African midfielder seems to confirm that he can be, at the very least, a useful player for a developing team.
Bol’s start was sensational. So much so that it has earned the honor to be heading due to the loss of Cole Anthony in the last three games;
- vs. wasps: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block and 66.7% shooting
- vs. Mav’s: 16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 70% accuracy
- vs. thunder: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks and 66.7% accuracy
In 8 games (13% of his career total) The Orlando Magic player is average 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks with 65.5% accuracy in the field goals. A shocking balance that saw him beat Mo Bamba into the rotation, a teammate who renewed that past out of season for two seasons and 20.6M.
His scoring contribution was largely based on execution or adding after an offensive rebound, but Bol Bol left the actions to take his hat off:
Meanwhile, in defense his impact as lid makes it the third highest average in this course, only behind Myles Turner (3.7) and Brook Lopez (3.0).
And that’s it Bol Bol makes the most of its impressive sizebut also how quickly he moves laterally, being able to match up with much smaller operators.
That explains why he had three different games with 4 blocks, the last vs Oklahoma City Thunder:
How long Bol Bol’s relative boom will last is a mystery, almost as much as whether his impact will be real or the excitement of his early games.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
