Bol Bol entered last fall as one of the most intriguing prospects at the collegiate level, but after suffering a stress fracture of his foot that ended his season, he slid down may boards due to concerns about his health.
Those concerns led the extremely talented, but raw, Bol to fall out of the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft and as the picks came off the board in the second round, it seemed like just a matter of time before someone was willing to take a chance on him. That chance came at No. 44, as the Denver Nuggets traded into the second round to take Bol, completing a deal with the Heat for the tantalizing, yet risky prospect.
Denver is acquiring Bol Bol from Miami, league sources say.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 21, 2019
Denver has acquired Bol Bol in a trade, league source says. https://t.co/BPtsQCDrVj
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2019
The Bol pick was very popular among those still at Barclays Center, as he was the last player in the green room at the draft and finally got his name called.
The crowd erupts for Bol Bol! pic.twitter.com/JkbcYRrxb8
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) June 21, 2019
His stated goal is to “prove everyone wrong,” as he told Maria Taylor after being picked, and he has plenty of motivation after sitting in the green room for more than 4 hours.
Bol Bol "I want to prove everybody wrong" pic.twitter.com/OrGBTVK6Tx
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) June 21, 2019
At 7’2 with a 7’7 wingspan, Bol has incredible length and has legitimate three-point range, knocking down a ridiculous 52 percent of his threes in his nine games at Oregon, in which he averaged 21 points and nine rebounds. The foot injury is a considerable red flag for someone of his size, which is the main reason he fell out of the first round, where he would’ve gotten a guaranteed contract.
It’s the second straight year the Nuggets have taken a chance on a hyper-talented player with serious injury questions, as they selected Michael Porter Jr. at No. 14 overall a year ago, and had him sit out all season to rehab his back injury. Now they’ll take a similar chance on Bol in hopes that he can stay healthy, and if he can, they might’ve gotten a tremendous steal.
