Another guy who suffered from an early season injury is one of the tallest guys in the draft and just so happens to be related to the tallest guy in NBA history. Bol Bol, son of Manute Bol, played in just a few games with the Oregon Ducks before coming down with an injury that sidelined him the rest of the way.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have Steven Adams at center right now, who is an underrated player that can grab a ton of rebounds, play good defense and be ready for some putback opportunities whenever needed. Bol may not be an ideal fit, but his upside would have most teams drooling in this pick range.
Bol is 7’3″. That is his biggest strength, obviously, and he is still getting used to taking advantage of his size on the court. He moves pretty well, although fairly slow, and he can shoot the ball really well. In his nine games with the Ducks, he was able to shoot the ball at above 50% from both the field and the three-point line. It is a limited sample size, but it is very impressive.
Being big is his biggest strength but it is also, unfortunately, his biggest weakness. Bol’s injury in college would have any team concerned as guys that tall are not particularly good at staying healthy. He is also very thin which means he is likely to get pushed around a lot by other bigs in the league.
Player Comparison: Kristaps Porzingis
I am not fond of this comparison, but it really is the best comp for this guy. Porzingis is one of the most uniquely gifted basketball players we have ever seen in this league with his mix of size and skill. If anything, Bol appears to be a clumsier version of that at this time, which takes away some of KP’s biggest strengths. Bol has some tremendous upside, though.
Next: Boston Celtics