NBA: Bol Bol's breakout comes at just the right time
Bol Bol is showing his full potential in Orlando. The Sudanese player is making the most of the trust placed in him.
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For some, the breakout comes right after the draft. Others, though, have to wait before finding their feet in the NBA. For Bol Bol, it meant a long wait. It has finally paid off, as the Sudanese player is thriving in Orlando, averaging 11.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Shooting-wise, the 23-year-old is at 57.5% from the field, including 37.7% from beyond the arc. A fluke? No, simply the result of more floor time (25.7 minutes per game this season).
For Bol Bol, Florida is an eldorado. And on top of that, a young team in which he has settled in very quickly. "It's a new opportunity for me, a younger team. It's not like in Denver, where it was a bit harder for me to play, because it was already a very good team, an established team, a playoff team. Now, I'm just making a fresh start," he admitted to the Denver Post. The centre also stands out for his unusual profile. His height of 2 metres 18 centimetres sets him apart. Add a skill level well above average and you get a player capable of breaking down any defence. Besides, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving recently praised the Orlando player's qualities.
https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1614826401466548225
Away from Denver, closer to happiness
Before settling in Orlando, Bol Bol struggled. Drafted by Denver in 2019 (44th pick), he spent three seasons there. During that time, the lanky centre had to make do with cameos. He played only 53 games in three years. Statistically, the numbers were meagre, with averages of 2.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. However, there is no question of putting it all on the Nuggets, quite the opposite. The player himself admits he got some things wrong. What's more, his time in Denver let him rub shoulders with Nikola Jokić, the NBA's MVP in each of the last two seasons.
"I think it was very good for me. I went through a lot of things during my time in Denver, on and off the court. But I think everyone goes through their own trials. […] Here, I learned a lot from watching Jokic. That was important for me (…). I think I could have worked a lot harder. I was just young. I learned that you have to work hard or things won't work out for you," Bol Bol acknowledges. Clear-eyed.