If you could create your dream basketball player, he would probably stand around 7 foot, 2 inches tall, with a 7’5” Wingspan, and a 9 foot, 6 inch standing reach. He could shoot the 3 ball, has guard like skills, could run the floor, and block shots with the best of them! Victor Wembanyama? No! The player I am talking about is the Orlando Magic Guard/Forward/Center Bol Bol.
Bol was having a very promising freshman season at Oregon before fracturing his left foot. The Oregon star was averaging 21 ppg, 9.6 rpg, & 2.7 bpg and was looking like a lock as a Top 5 pick. But with everyone uncertain with the severity of Bol’s foot injury, multiple teams passed on drafting him in 2019. Bol was picked 44th in the 2nd round of the 2019 Draft, by the Miami Heat, and was traded to the Denver Nuggets.
I actually thought his skillset would fit well in the future along side guys like MVP, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. During his rookie season Bol only appeared in 12 games and only played 12.4 minutes per game. His next two seasons he only saw the floor on an average of 5 minutes a game, and only appeared in 46 games between the two seasons.
Bol was never really given the opportunity to develop and grow in Denver. With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. hurt for the majority of the past 2 years, I feel like he should have been given a chance to showcase his talent. He could have played the power forward position next to Jokic, and Aaron Gordon could have moved over to the Small Forward position. Even if he didn’t start, he should have at least gotten significant minutes coming off the bench.
This summer Bol was traded to Boston and later to Orlando. Many thought the trade was questionable with the array of bigmen that the Magic had. Orlando had just drafted future star, Paolo Banchero and already had Wendell Carter and Mo Bamba on the roster. Crazy right? Orlando recently started a lineup with 4 players standing 6’10” or taller, Franz Wagner (6’10”), Paolo Banchero (6’10”), Wendell Carter (6’10”), and Bol Bol at 7’2”. Bol has thrived so far this season with the Magic and has gotten his career back on track. The last 5 games Bol has averaged, 18 ppg, 11.4 rpg, and 1.8 bpg while shooting 55% from the field, and 58% from 3. Can Bol continue his great play and eventually emerge into a star? This season should tell us a lot about what to expect from him in the future.
VSPN Writer | Vincent Cason II
7'2" Height
7’5” Wingspan
9’6” Standing Reach
Last 5 Games
18 ppg
11.4 rpg
1.8 bpg
37/67 55% FG
7/12 58% 3PT