![]() ![]() The Magic are now smack bang in the middle of a season-long stretch on their homecourt, with all three games this week happening in the sunny climes of Central Florida. This week’s schedule: vs Kings (Sat) vs Rockets (Mon) vs Mavericks (Wed) Regardless of the eventual outcome, Bol has already succeeded in carving out a well-deserved spot in Orlando’s rotation, a fact that this last week has clearly demonstrated. In fact, he’s currently the only player whose court time has resulted in the Magic scoring more points than they’ve given up! Whether that holds true for the rest of the season remains to be seen, as does precisely what he projects to be in this league moving forward. Bol is also pacing Orlando’s roster in PER, box plus/minus, win shares per-48 and true shooting percentage (through the first 8 games), while also featuring as a contributor to some of the team’s most impressive three and four-man combinations.īol has been more than just long-limbed speculation on a losing team despite the somewhat ungainly aesthetics of his play he’s showcasing a solid individual game and the capacity to contribute to winning basketball. He’s leading the league in blocks, with his total of 23 averaging out to 2.6 per night and an absurd block percentage of 11.1%. No matter how you choose to measure it, he’s providing career-best output in just about every facet of the game, whether that’s traditional counting stats, per-100 possession numbers, or advanced metrics. Since then he’s generally gone from strength to strength, with either double figure points or rebounds – or, on two occasions, both! – in almost every game. Bol has frequently been a revelation for the Magic in the early going, having first worked his way into the rotation, then staked a claim to more minutes, and most recently even snatched a spot among the starters thanks to a flurry of eye-catching appearances.ġ0 points in the season opener was followed just a couple of contests later by a career-high 19. ![]() The odds were undoubtedly long at the start of the season, but anyone who had ‘ Bol Bol is our new wingspan wunderkind’ on their bingo card can step forth and claim a prize. Who won the week that was? Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images The Magic may not win very often, but between Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Markelle Fultz, and Bol, they have one of the most fun young rosters in the league.With the working week winding to an end, let’s check the pulse of all things pinstriped. He needs to continue to add strength to his frame, and find ways for his handle and finishing to be functional in the halfcourt, not just in transition.Įither way, Bol is both immensely improved this season, and one of the most fun players to watch in the NBA. Bol needs to shoot more threes to tap into the sky-high shooting upside I saw in him entering the draft - so far, he’s making 40 percent from deep but on very low volume. The Magic are still terrible, and Bol is looking like a solid rotation piece if not a future mega-star like Wembayama. That’s how rare his physical tools and skill set are. Next year, Victor Wembanyama will make it two. How many 7’2 guys in NBA history are pulling down a rebound, dribbling the length of the floor, spinning around a defender, and finishing with a dunk? Bol is one. Those numbers seem pedestrian enough until you remember just how close Bol was from falling out the league entirely.īol Bol bringing the house down in Orlando ✨ /9ytYHwRFQX- NBA on ESPN December 15, 2022 Bol might be the front-runner for NBA Most Improved Player this season, putting up 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 60 percent for the Magic on the season. Finally, this season, Bol’s talent is fully coming into focus. The Magic saw enough in Bol to re-sign him to a two-year contract. ![]() He was eventually traded to the Orlando Magic, but never played a game because of injuries. only for the trade to be voided when Bol failed a physical. Bol languished on the bench until last season when the Nuggets agreed to trade him to the Detroit Pistons. It’s hard for any second round pick to crack an NBA rotation, and that’s particularly the case on a team with championship aspirations like the Nuggets. He committed to Oregon where he was supposed to be one of the country’s must-see one-and-done freshmen, but a season-ending foot injury limited him to only nine games.īol declared for the draft anyway, and he slipped to the second round before he was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the No. I wrote a feature on Bol as a high school player and imagined greatness in his future. Coming out of high school at Nevada’s Findlay Prep, Bol was considered a top-5 recruit in a class that also included Zion Williamson, Darius Garland, Tyler Herro, Anfernee Simons, and many more. Bol Bol was always supposed to be an elite basketball prospect.
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