5. Bol Bol, C, Oregon
Height: 7’2” | Weight: 208 | Age: 19
Bol Bol, the son of former pro Manute Bol, has been living in a hype bubble for years. He spent his entire high school career in the spotlight and wound up as ESPN’s No. 4 overall recruit in its 2018 ranking. Despite only playing nine games of college ball due to a season-ending left foot injury, Bol is almost guaranteed to go in the first round Thursday.
In today’s NBA, with “unicorns” and the very mention of the word driving what most franchises want in a center, Bol Bol looks heavenly. In his small sample size, he put up great stats: 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 52 percent from 3 on a respectable 2.8 attempts per game. Likewise, his 75.7 free throw percentage is more evidence of his legit shooting touch. That combination of shooting and potential rim protection has scouts saying things like this:
Bol Bol conducted a Pro Day in LA yesterday in front of approximately a dozen NBA teams, including five GMs, to ease concerns around his health and remind them of his ultra high skill-level. Bol showed why he's considered a top-five talent in this draft in terms of pure upside. pic.twitter.com/GSPF6W3FYL
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 13, 2019
Why isn’t Bol projected to go top-five then? Injuries, attitude issues and a troublingly one-dimensional game. With so little playing time in college, Bol has done nothing to quell the doubters. Back before the 2018-19 college season started, NBA folks were already nervous. Per Sports Illustrated‘s Jeremy Woo:
"“In conversations with NBA evaluators, questions about Bol’s physical adjustment and attitude questions tend to precede breathless talk of his rim protection or offensive skills.”"
Now, after suffering a foot injury in December bad enough to sideline him for the rest of the year, his body has come under increased scrutiny. The history of players over seven-feet tall and lower body injuries is terrifying. Bol Bol’s injury likelihood is considerably higher than most players, a real risk that he may not even be in the league by the time his rookie contract ends.
Frankly put, there is only so much people can maximize with their physical gifts, and while Bol’s incredible height (7’2.25”) and wingspan (7’7”) are tremendous pros, his weight and high center of gravity — or in layman’s terms: he’s skinny as a stick — massively drag down his overall defensive potential. Most NBA bigs will outweigh him by at least 25 pounds, being able to bully him and push him under the basket at will.
Offensively, Bol never bothered to venture into the post. Defensively, blocks do not reflect his impact; he shied away from contact and opted instead to mindlessly swat at anything within six feet of him, showing little to no natural basketball instinct. Even when defending the perimeter, he rarely got down in a stance and too often crossed his legs awkwardly instead of shuffling his feet to try and stay in front of smaller players.
Bol’s game — like his frame — is bare bones, and with his injury risk he may never get the reps needed to learn the game properly or even carve out a starting role on an NBA team, let alone become a star.
Shooting is the most important skill in the league and it is great for a center to have, but that and length is all Bol Bol genuinely has going for him. For a guy who has repeatedly been questioned about his matureness and passion for the game, it is going to be awfully hard to unlock Bol’s potential, even if it’s enormous.