I'm a little disappointed the Rockets didn't trade into the 2nd round for a guy like Bol Bol. The guy has natural talent and skills. He already had guard skills at 15. Yes he is thin, but he is very durable. His handles and footwork are off the charts for his size. Probably better handles than any center in the league besides Anthony Davis. Coordinated and Hakeem could finally have someone coordinated to work with. 7'2 and can shoot like Steph and Durant. Crazy a guy like Garland can play 5 games, and get drafted in top 5 and Bol Bol is questioned for playing 9. Heck I think one team musta forgot Chuma tore his ACL a few months ago. Bol is a top 3 shot blocker in the draft, top 3 shooter in the draft, top 3 at being tall with long arms in the draft. Wingspan and enough footwork to stay in front of guys on the perimeter too. Bol is not a raw big man who needs years to develop. He is a guy that has been around and practiced basketball for his whole life. He is a mismatch for any player trying to guard him. I cant believe we couldn't put together a couple future 2nds to get some lottery level talent. 7'2 steph curry with shot blocking. I think Bol is the biggest draft steal since Rashard Lewis and probably the biggest draft mistake.
I got to see Bol Bol in person this year when he played against UH. First of all, he's got freakishly long legs. Yeah he's 7'2" but he's also all legs. Crazy long legs. Unfortunately, that makes his center of gravity incredibly high. He will always have difficulty holding position because his center of gravity is so high. Oregon listed him at 235 but he was never close to that weight. At Pre-draft workouts, he weighed in at 208. Being as young as he is and already having foot problems, I don't know if you want him putting on too much additional weight. I don't think that you can label a guy as "very durable" when he only lasted 9 games in college. He does shoot the ball well for a guy of his size, though he's no where close to a top 3 shooter in the draft. You can't really go by a 9 game sample (13 total makes from behind the arc) and decide that he's an elite shooter. Elite shooters tend to make more than 1.4 3s per game. The problem with his shot is he is primarily a spot up shooter. He doesn't shoot well off the dribble and he has a really low release point. He shoots the ball off of his right shoulder, negating much of his height advantage. In the UH game, he had two of his 3 point attempts blocked by 6'5" Corey Davis. He also has a slow release so defenders will be able to close out on him and contest his shots. As for ball handling, the issue comes back to his height/center of gravity. His dribble is really high and he doesn't change directions well so he isn't going to put the ball on the floor and go around anyone. When he does get the ball at the rim, he does a good job of finishing but even against UH, who were an undersized team, he couldn't get position doewn low very often. His biggest issue though is going to be defense. When Bol can camp in the paint, he's imposing because of his great length. The issue that he will have in the NBA is that he can't stay in front of anyone. Houston big men, none of which were great ball handlers, easily went around Bol. It all goes back to his high center of gravity, he just can't change directions quickly. In today's NBA, teams are going to run pick and roll and force Bol into a switch and that will make him unplayable against good teams. Maybe if his team committed to playing Zone while he's in the game but in man defense, he's got no chance. He's also very slow at getting up and down the court so an athletic big who can run the floor like Capela will be a problem for him.
Maybe not as a lottery pick, but I’m surprised the rockets didn’t take a chance. Low risk high reward. Even wi u DJD. Second rounders are bought with the expectation they aren’t gonna pan out anyways
I appreciate your analysis, since I've never seen him play live. I agree with most of your points and criticisms of Bol, but think you have to remember that he is 19 years old. He has the some of the same problems most young big men have, need to get stronger and play better 1 on 1 defense. Most 19 year olds have trouble holding position in the paint. Imagine this being a reason for not drafting Kevin Durant. Also, the game has changed and I don't think this is as much of a factor; I'm especially sure the Rockets wouldn't be trying to run post plays on offense with him. Even with his long legs, and awkward build I think he handles the ball and moves much better than most 7 footers. On defense, he does need work, but mostly needs to stay on his toes and spread his arms to make it much more difficult to go around him. I don't think teams would try to force him to play perimeter defense, except in short bursts. He will get shook out to the floor from time to time though. I think his shot blocking and intimidation in the paint makes up for that. I think sometimes scouts focus on a few things someone can't do over the 100 things they can. In a game of 1 on 1, I would take Bol Bol over Capela. I didn't know about any knee condition, so maybe it is worth being cautious though. Either way there were other guys like Nasir Little, Admiral Schofield, Porter Jr, and Okpala available for a bargain.
