Bol Bol Discussion Thread: Long-Term Starter or Reserve?

[Statlanta]

I don’t think he should win any awards but I do think he’s the best player on the team especially if you adjust for role.

[VFX]

It can't be understated how exciting it is that Orlando finally landed someone like Bol without giving up anything substantial.

I don't know why Weltman and Hammond haven't taken more of these kinds of chances on guys buried on benches. I guess you could say they did with Hampton, but that doesn't look like it worked out.

It's nice to hear people talk about Orlando when it doesn't involve lotto picks and being at the bottom of the league.

[tooler]

For many reasons, I love that Paolo is hyping him up.

[tleikheen]

"He's unique," Durant said. "He's tough to deal with. You've seen his confidence growing by the game. He can do pretty much everything on the basketball court. So, he just needs more reps. Last few years, he's been in and out of the lineup -- hurt, G-League stints. But I love what the Magic are doing with him, putting him at the point sometimes, playing him at the five, just moving him around because he's such a versatile player.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/kevin-durant-praises-breakout-star-bol-bol-after-lighting-up-nets-great-for-the-league/ar-AA14Hjug?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=91fbce6f4286487bb04e12db31d93c2b

[tleikheen]

Against the Nets, Bol was a human highlight reel. Bol went the length of the floor in three dribbles for a tough layup across his body, hit multiple pull-up threes in transition, used multiple Euro steps to finish in the lane, and had an alley-oop dunk that had everyone in the arena jumping out of their seats. During the game, Bol was a trending topic across Twitter, which included several tweets comparing him with Wembanyama due to their size, length, and skill sets.

https://hoopshype.com/2022/11/29/nba-rumors-bol-bol-victor-wembanyama-comparison-most-improved-player-candidate/

but trending here in Magic realgm ,..... they still want him coming off the bench as someone who hasn't quite proven himself in their eyes.Seems the rest of the NBA is seeing for themselves what Bol can do faster than here.

[Bakomagic]

Man, a lot of Magic fans have trouble giving Weltham credit but picking up Bol, Franz, Paolo and 5 picks in the next two years, but they have us set up for a bright future!

There was a lot of back and forth with Chet or Paolo but Bol is looking like what people were hoping Chet will be. Blocking shots, handling the ball, knocking down 3s and finishing at the rim at a high rate!

Obviously he will just need to remain consistent and improve some of his decision making but if he stays healthy I don’t see him failing with those.

Having seen NBA Chet so I may be way off with saying Bol can provide what he does.

I’m a fan and am excited to see him grow with Paolo, Franz and 2023 pick(s) moving forward as core pieces for our Magic!

[tooler]

but trending here in Wizards realgm ,.....

You don’t even know what forum you’ve shown up to bash!

[VFX]

Against the Nets, Bol was a human highlight reel. Bol went the length of the floor in three dribbles for a tough layup across his body, hit multiple pull-up threes in transition, used multiple Euro steps to finish in the lane, and had an alley-oop dunk that had everyone in the arena jumping out of their seats. During the game, Bol was a trending topic across Twitter, which included several tweets comparing him with Wembanyama due to their size, length, and skill sets.

https://hoopshype.com/2022/11/29/nba-rumors-bol-bol-victor-wembanyama-comparison-most-improved-player-candidate/

but trending here in Magic realgm ,..... they still want him coming off the bench as someone who hasn't quite proven himself in their eyes.Seems the rest of the NBA is seeing for themselves what Bol can do faster than here.

In an ideal scenario is he starting over WCJr, Paolo, or Wagner?

How you answer that question tells me how serious you are as a person.

[pepe1991]

Bol comparisons to Victor & Chet question my desire to ever watch basketball again.

Just because somebody exceeding expetations ( and apsolutley nobody is questioning it) that doesn't make him new Durant.
There is fine middle ground between "unplayable bum" and "allstar". Majority of the league fills that middle ground.
But no, it's not possible with some fans.

And everybody has "future Magic contending roster" starting slots on lock for 5,6,7,8 players that alraedy exist on roster. So question beggs itself: why they aren't even playoff team already if each and every "lock starter" is so elite?



Wagner , Banchero are "lock" for Magic core.
Wendell Carter's absence proved he is 3rd most important player.

Suggs & others are nice talking points but don't really move needle imo. And that list includes Bol. Cool player, cheap, interesting to watch. But would ship him with first offer that would land me some Haliburton type.

[Last Guardian]

I don't think he has that great of a bball IQ and his defense and rebounding aren't great. He's not a playmaker either. He's pretty much just a scorer, who at 7'2 is obviously going to be pretty efficient at it if you have the skill. He does block shots but overall his defense is weak. I say right now he is the level of a scorer off the bench. If he improved in other areas he would be a starter.

[leo7]

Bol Bol is going to be a great offensive player, but I'm really concerned about his defense, especially on the perimeter. He is basically a dummy defender that players use to shoot over in practice. He's not really bothering anyone's shot unless they're a bad shooter. He really needs to learn how to play defense and move his feet if he wants to be an impact player. This is what separates him from being on Chet and Wemby's level of potential. Because both of those players have really high defensive IQ.

[tiderulz]

Man, a lot of Magic fans have trouble giving Weltham credit but picking up Bol, Franz, Paolo and 5 picks in the next two years, but they have us set up for a bright future!

There was a lot of back and forth with Chet or Paolo but Bol is looking like what people were hoping Chet will be. Blocking shots, handling the ball, knocking down 3s and finishing at the rim at a high rate!

Obviously he will just need to remain consistent and improve some of his decision making but if he stays healthy I don’t see him failing with those.

Having seen NBA Chet so I may be way off with saying Bol can provide what he does.

I’m a fan and am excited to see him grow with Paolo, Franz and 2023 pick(s) moving forward as core pieces for our Magic!

no. Chet is elite on D overall, not just cherry picking shot blocking. Bol not so much. Bol is super for what we invested and is by no means a finished product, if he improves his defense than the skies the limit.

[VFX]

Bol Bol is going to be a great offensive player, but I'm really concerned about his defense, especially on the perimeter. He is basically a dummy defender that players use to shoot over in practice. He's not really bothering anyone's shot unless they're a bad shooter. He really needs to learn how to play defense and move his feet if he wants to be an impact player. This is what separates him from being on Chet and Wemby's level of potential. Because both of those players have really high defensive IQ.

Bol is an anomaly on offense but he isn't really even decent defensively yet.

He is going to get a lot of weakside blocks due to his length. His presence makes players question going up against him in the paint. However, he doesn't do anything defensively with that presence.

Who knows with Chet. He didn't look dominant defensively in college and he was similarly limited to using his height to block shots. Mark Williams and Paolo both had 15 and 20+ points against Gonzaga.

Wemby looks like a legitimate defensive player.

[NavalAviator94]

Bol Bol is going to be a great offensive player, but I'm really concerned about his defense, especially on the perimeter. He is basically a dummy defender that players use to shoot over in practice. He's not really bothering anyone's shot unless they're a bad shooter. He really needs to learn how to play defense and move his feet if he wants to be an impact player. This is what separates him from being on Chet and Wemby's level of potential. Because both of those players have really high defensive IQ.

To say he's not bothering anyone's shot is just factually incorrect. Watch any game and see how they react when he's in the vicinity. They respect his shot blocking ability and it's extremely apparent unless you've not watched any games.

[NavalAviator94]

Bol Bol is going to be a great offensive player, but I'm really concerned about his defense, especially on the perimeter. He is basically a dummy defender that players use to shoot over in practice. He's not really bothering anyone's shot unless they're a bad shooter. He really needs to learn how to play defense and move his feet if he wants to be an impact player. This is what separates him from being on Chet and Wemby's level of potential. Because both of those players have really high defensive IQ.

Bol is an anomaly on offense but he isn't really even decent defensively yet.

He is going to get a lot of weakside blocks due to his length. His presence makes players question going up against him in the paint. However, he doesn't do anything defensively with that presence.

Who knows with Chet. He didn't look dominant defensively in college and he was similarly limited to using his height to block shots. Mark Williams and Paolo both had 15 and 20+ points against Gonzaga.

Wemby looks like a legitimate defensive player.

What's Wemby's position in the NBA? I've not really watched this kid outside of a few recent highlights.

[tooler]

Bol Bol is going to be a great offensive player, but I'm really concerned about his defense, especially on the perimeter. He is basically a dummy defender that players use to shoot over in practice. He's not really bothering anyone's shot unless they're a bad shooter. He really needs to learn how to play defense and move his feet if he wants to be an impact player. This is what separates him from being on Chet and Wemby's level of potential. Because both of those players have really high defensive IQ.

To say he's not bothering anyone's shot is just factually incorrect. Watch any game and see how they react when he's in the vicinity. They respect his shot blocking ability and it's extremely apparent unless you've not watched any games.

Yeah, I think what he should've said is he's a traffic cone, not someone to shoot over in practice. If you drive on him, you're good. If you try to take a jump shot on the perimeter, watch out. Of course some guys can get shots off, but yeah, that's where he does most of his damage.

[tooler]

Wagner , Banchero are "lock" for Magic core.
Wendell Carter's absence proved he is 3rd most important player.

Suggs & others are nice talking points but don't really move needle imo. And that list includes Bol. Cool player, cheap, interesting to watch. But would ship him with first offer that would land me some Haliburton type.

Thank you for offering actual impressions of the team instead of only making fun of people who are excited! Much appreciated, and certainly better than single player stans.

[VFX]

Bol Bol is going to be a great offensive player, but I'm really concerned about his defense, especially on the perimeter. He is basically a dummy defender that players use to shoot over in practice. He's not really bothering anyone's shot unless they're a bad shooter. He really needs to learn how to play defense and move his feet if he wants to be an impact player. This is what separates him from being on Chet and Wemby's level of potential. Because both of those players have really high defensive IQ.

Bol is an anomaly on offense but he isn't really even decent defensively yet.

He is going to get a lot of weakside blocks due to his length. His presence makes players question going up against him in the paint. However, he doesn't do anything defensively with that presence.

Who knows with Chet. He didn't look dominant defensively in college and he was similarly limited to using his height to block shots. Mark Williams and Paolo both had 15 and 20+ points against Gonzaga.

Wemby looks like a legitimate defensive player.

What's Wemby's position in the NBA? I've not really watched this kid outside of a few recent highlights.

True Center. Think Rudy Gobert that can actually create offense and shoot.

[fendilim]

It can't be understated how exciting it is that Orlando finally landed someone like Bol without giving up anything substantial.

I don't know why Weltman and Hammond haven't taken more of these kinds of chances on guys buried on benches. I guess you could say they did with Hampton, but that doesn't look like it worked out.

It's nice to hear people talk about Orlando when it doesn't involve lotto picks and being at the bottom of the league.

they did reclaim project.

A player with top pedigree coming out of highschool or
College but struggles in the pros.

They’ve done that numerous times. Khem burch, briscoe, mcw, fultz, etc. you can even consider cole anthony (top 3 projected then gets injured)

Not every move will be a hit. But WeHam have done numerous reclaim projects during their tenure.


Edit: Add caleb houstan into the mix as well

[VFX]

It can't be understated how exciting it is that Orlando finally landed someone like Bol without giving up anything substantial.

I don't know why Weltman and Hammond haven't taken more of these kinds of chances on guys buried on benches. I guess you could say they did with Hampton, but that doesn't look like it worked out.

It's nice to hear people talk about Orlando when it doesn't involve lotto picks and being at the bottom of the league.

they did reclaim project.

A player with top pedigree coming out of highschool or
College but struggles in the pros.

They’ve done that numerous times. Khem burch, briscoe, mcw, fultz, etc. you can even consider cole anthony (top 3 projected then gets injured)

Not every move will be a hit. But WeHam have done numerous reclaim projects during their tenure.

I dunno man. I don't really count MCW considering he had been on numerous teams before Orlando. The other guys were fringe NBA talent at best.

You have a case with Fultz, Bol, and Hampton. Can you really consider Cole a reclamation project if Orlando is his first NBA team and he is drafted in the first round?

I'm talking specifically about guys that don't get minutes, buried on NBA benches, due to rosters not allowing them to. Bol and Hampton didn't get time because there were significantly better players and bench units preventing them from getting minutes even though they had hype coming out of the draft. Celtics and Nuggets organizations said as much about Bol. This is kind of my argument against drafting dudes that have no chance at earning minutes.

I specifically remember vouching for Gary Trent before they moved him to Toronto after averaging 8mpg in Portland. Tre Jones didn't see the court in San Antonio behind Murray, White, and Mills and now he's looking like an asset. Nesmith in Indiana is another good example of a guy that is doing more with the Pacers than he was in Boston buried on a bench.