The Orlando Magic are the Perfect Fit for Bol Bol
Did anyone forget about Bol Bol? Well, if you did, the 7-foot-2 unique talent is actually playing meaningful minutes this year with the Orlando Magic. Yes, in his first three years, actual minutes for Bol were hard to find. However, now with Orlando, Bol has played significant minutes and has seen multiple starts early in the season. With Orlando giving the 22-year-old forward consistent playing time, could they be the perfect fit for Bol to develop and progress as a player?
First, let’s rewind to understand the hype surrounding Bol.
When Bol was first getting recruited in high school, people speculated that he could be an impact player in the NBA. Hailed as a five-star and top prospect nationally, Bol chose to play college basketball at Oregon and impressed during his short time there. In his nine games before getting injured, Bol showed off his dynamic skill set, averaging 21 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 13-of-25 from three-point range. With the Ducks he was a true stat stuffer.
However, when it came to the NBA Draft, Bol fell down the draft boards due to his injury concerns and was selected 44th overall by the Denver Nuggets.
During his time in Denver, Bol never found a role. In his three years with them, he only played in 53 games, and most of those were garbage time minutes. With Denver having a deep roster, being in championship contention, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone demanding a defensive presence, Bol never cracked the rotation and found himself in Orlando last year.
It seemed like Bol was destined to be an end-of-the-bench type player for his career. However, Bol was finally given a chance this year with Orlando. After the third game of the season, Bol eclipsed the 20-minute mark of playing time and has played over 20 minutes in his past five games.
So far in the young season, Bol has been productive with the minutes he has seen.
In his last five games, all of them he has seen over 20 minutes of playing time, Bol is averaging 13.6 points, nine rebounds, and just under three blocks per game. If you want to look at his last two games, Bol has recorded a double-double in each of them. Averaging 2.6 blocks per game, Bol is currently third in the entire NBA.
Right now, Bol Bol is most likely a bench piece of a contending basketball team. However, with Orlando, Bol has the opportunity to play right away. Orlando isn’t going to win anything right now — they know they aren’t going to compete right now. The Magic have bolstered their roster with an abundance of lengthy, highly skilled bigs.
Their main focus is getting their young talent experience and developing them for the future, and the Magic have tons of it. Look no further than a roaster which boasts seven lottery picks in Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr., Paolo Banchero, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac, and other young talents including Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Caleb Houstan and Bol Bol.
With Bol getting more playing time, his confidence seems to be growing. Going coast-to-coast, bringing the ball up, it seems like the game is slowing down for Bol.
“I feel like every game I’ve gotten better, the game is starting to slow down,” Bol said.
If the Magic keep giving minutes to Bol, it could rejuvenate his career. It seems like Bol and the Magic were a perfect marriage together. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a long NBA career for Bol, someone who seemed like was going to be a bust after his first three years.
