Utah Jazz 2016-17 season review: Joel Bolomboy
By Adam Coffman
The worst of Bolomboy
At 23 years old, Bolomboy doesn’t have a ton of upside or untapped potential, which becomes more concerning considering he hasn’t shown a ton of polish on the court yet.
His 7’1″ wingspan is nice for either big position, but his height (measured at 6’9″) makes him an ill fit at center. Playing a traditional power forward role, however, hamstrings the Jazz in that he can’t really operate on the perimeter on offense or guard combo forwards or wings off switches either.
It’s tough to judge from his garbage time appearances, but even his college stats (just 10.2 field goal attempts per game at Weber State) seem to suggest that he isn’t all that aggressive in terms of creating shots.
We don’t want to read to much into the minutes distribution itself either, but it does seem confusing that Bolomboy was able to get in the game so few times considering the less-than-satisfactory seasons Boris Diaw and Trey Lyles had at the power forward position.
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On defense, he has most of the physical tools needed to make an impact, but lacks timing and awareness, having blocked just 2.9 percent of opponents’ shots while in the D-League.
He tends to look stiff or awkward at times, which doesn’t bode well for his fit in a more complex Quin Snyder offense. Without a solid post game or ability to create off the dribble, Bolomboy will have to make his mark by using pure hustle and determination, at least until the game slows down for him.