Bol Bol could offer an NBA team an incredibly diverse and interesting skillset, but the injury risk is high and there are some real questions about how his game will translate to the next level.
C, Oregon
7’2, 218 lbs
Stats in 2018-19:
9 games, 9 starts, 29.8 MPG, 21.0 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.7 BPG, 56.1 FG%, 52.0 3P%, 75.7 FT%
Where he’ll go:
Bol will likely be a lottery pick.
The Rundown:
Bol Bol is an interesting prospect not just of who he is as a player but what he represents in the conversation about the modern NBA. He’s an extremely skilled big with a completely unique physical profile. Despite being over seven feet tall and with a 7’8 wingspan, he can shoot from outside like a guard and actually has dribble moves at his disposal as well.
However, it’s hard to find anyone who believes that Bol, at his current weight and size, will be strong enough to compete in the NBA. He’s also clearly an injury risk—he spent the season sitting out with a foot injury and the history of big men with preexisting injuries coming into the NBA is not a good one.
There’s also the more philosophical issue of whether or not a team can win at a high level with Bol on the floor. Height is pretty much Bol’s only weapon when it comes to the defensive end. He will not be able to guard switches and he’ll certainly get beat by smaller players. Though his length gives him some leeway to recover foul trouble could be an issue as well.
In the playoffs this year, we saw teams going right at bigger players—though Bol’s offensive potential is undeniably very high, teams are really going to have to think about how to build a defense that works with Bol in the middle.
Risks and questions aside, Bol could also be the kind of prospect that breaks the way we traditionally think about who can have a successful NBA career. An outside shooter of his size is simply unheard of and his pull-up game will be unstoppable. He will probably draw a lot of fouls as well—the only way teams are going to be able to stop him is by being extremely physical.
Bol is the ultimate wait and see prospect. Everyone is obviously hoping for his good health and success in the league, but the questions surrounding him are ones that every team is going to have to answer for themselves.