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

[Knightro]

problem is Paolo, Franz and Bol are all true 4s imo in an ideal lineup, Bol most likely will inevitably have to be relegated to the bench in this scenrio, and Wagner at the 3 is fine but sub optimal.

I agree with you on Paolo and Bol, but strongly disagree on Franz.

He's a 3 who can even play some 2 a lot more than he is any sort of 4. He's not a good rebounder or a particularly physical player.

[Rainwater]

Agreed but he is still relatively young with little NBA experience. The problem is, to me, he is a SF/PF and we have those spots locked by Franz and Paolo. It may make sense to figure out how to feature him and then trade him for a backcourt starter.

I think him being a SF/PF is the less of his problems. Other than being a scorer he really brings little else to the game. He has the same issues of a Jabari Parker.

I don't remember Jabari having any shot blocking ability or that he could literally shoot efficiently over any player either. Bol's just different

My Jabari Parker comparison was more in terms of them both being poor defenders but good offensive players. Yes, Bol provides rim protection but overall he is poor asa defender. If you think otherwise lets continue to roll out that Paolo, Bol front line and see how that works out, lol.

I know people are fans of certain players but we have to be honest about their flaws; if not, it will be a repeat of Vuc, Evan, a d AG

[Rainwater]

Agreed but he is still relatively young with little NBA experience. The problem is, to me, he is a SF/PF and we have those spots locked by Franz and Paolo. It may make sense to figure out how to feature him and then trade him for a backcourt starter.

I think him being a SF/PF is the less of his problems. Other than being a scorer he really brings little else to the game. He has the same issues of a Jabari Parker.

?

he's infinitely more efficient scoring than Parker, better on the boards by a substantial margin and in a completely different class as a shot blocker/rim protector.

i don't get this comp at all tbh.

Again, this is not a one on one comparison but general comparison about positives and negatives they both share hence why I said they share the same issue. Two guy who are pretty good on offense but poor defenders.

In terms of Bol by respectively he is a poor rebounder for his height. He is 7 feet tall but only avgs 7 rebounds per game. In the last 3 games he only had 7, 6, 5 rebounders respectively. That is poor. Yes, Bol provides rim protection however the guy is too weak and slow to provide any kid of defense.

[Rainwater]

Agreed but he is still relatively young with little NBA experience. The problem is, to me, he is a SF/PF and we have those spots locked by Franz and Paolo. It may make sense to figure out how to feature him and then trade him for a backcourt starter.

I think him being a SF/PF is the less of his problems. Other than being a scorer he really brings little else to the game. He has the same issues of a Jabari Parker.

He provides rim protection, which is something. Combination of slow feet and weak body is very hard to overcome though. Good for a change of pace but at the same time weak defensive link on multiple levels. He is bad now he would be even worse in the playoffs. I dont like that we build hype around him if we want to retain him. Building up his value for a trade is different though, that could be very good idea

Building hype for guys who don't deserve it something that magic love to do hahaha

[wojoaderge]

In terms of Bol by respectively he is a poor rebounder for his height. He is 7 feet tall but only avgs 7 rebounds per game. In the last 3 games he only had 7, 6, 5 rebounders respectively. That is poor.

He's 15th in the league in Defensive Rebound %, and 26th in Total Rebound %

[Rainwater]

In terms of Bol by respectively he is a poor rebounder for his height. He is 7 feet tall but only avgs 7 rebounds per game. In the last 3 games he only had 7, 6, 5 rebounders respectively. That is poor.

He's 15th in the league in Defensive Rebound %, and 26th in Total Rebound %

I love how we are trying to find ways to justify a 7-footer getting 7 rebounds per game. Continue to do so as the magic continue to get out rebounded each game. The guy had a game where he only got 5 rebounds while being 7 feet tall, but that is ok because he is ranked high in rebound percentage?!?!?!? There is something wrong with that logic.

[leo7]

Do you guys think Bol can learn to become a decent defender through a few years of in-game experience, or is his lack of strength and quickness going to limit him? Also that coast to coast dunk he did reminded me of someone in Milwaukee.

[pepe1991]

Do you guys think Bol can learn to become a decent defender through a few years of in-game experience, or is his lack of strength and quickness going to limit him? Also that coast to coast dunk he did reminded me of someone in Milwaukee.

It's not about "learning", it's just obvious that he does not have skillset to play C. And at PF he can't move his feet fast enough to cover space and way more explosive and athletic players than himself.
Porzingis nowdays plays C without much issue, despite being skinny because he is better at covering ground. Bol is leaf on a wind on defense regardless where you slot him at.


Bol is cool guy to watch highlights due novelity of his movset for a size. But majority of basketball are boring, methodic, dirty possessions where nothing pops for highlight, and Bol is just flat out bad on defense.
Like when you guys had Kawhi. Most of things he did were boring , but once you removed him from lineup, you figured how effective it was.

[Skybox]

Do you guys think Bol can learn to become a decent defender through a few years of in-game experience, or is his lack of strength and quickness going to limit him? Also that coast to coast dunk he did reminded me of someone in Milwaukee.

That play encapsulated my whole Bol experience..."great play. WTF? Give it up. Why are you going behind your back? Hit him, he's open. Protect the ball. WTF? WHOA! That'll be a Top 10 Highlight"

Hater foiled again!

[I Rasharted]

For the record, I want to see Bol get all the minutes, reps and shots he can handle this year, along with Paolo and Franz and Suggs. There’s enough minutes for all of them.

This. Me want more Bol. I don't want Bol Bol. I want Bol Bol Bol.

[MagicManMike]

Do you guys think Bol can learn to become a decent defender through a few years of in-game experience, or is his lack of strength and quickness going to limit him? Also that coast to coast dunk he did reminded me of someone in Milwaukee.

That play encapsulated my whole Bol experience..."great play. WTF? Give it up. Why are you going behind your back? Hit him, he's open. Protect the ball. WTF? WHOA! That'll be a Top 10 Highlight"

Hater foiled again!

Bol is always going to be tough to figure out where to put him on the court. As his defense improves it will become
A no brainer where he fits.

I look at him this way. No one expected anything from him when the Magic signed him. He wasn’t part of the bigger plan. Now he is showing skills to be included in the offense. At some point he has to either be given the chance for more touches or you put him as your sixth man and let him do the role Ross was so good at.

He is still very young so I prefer to see him grow as a starter until he doesn’t show continuous progress or he fails.

[NavalAviator94]

Good Article Khobi Price posted on Twitter from SB Nation on Bol Bol: Bol Bol is getting the chance to show just how great he can be

https://www.sbnation.com/2022/12/5/23493795/bol-bol-frontrunner-for-most-improved-player-orlando-magic

[SD2042]

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.

That's what been missing about this team for quite a while. To hear some nice things about a team who has been a basement/mediocre treadmill team for multiples of years. For once, this team's chances are looking up for once. Slowly and surely, the Magic will continue to improve for the better part of the future. Just continue to get the right players that best fit the team. Everything will work itself out.

[JF5]

Last few games his minutes have been cut due to his defensive deficiencies. If he is playing with guys like Suggs, Carter, and Issac he'd be fine most likely.

[MagicManMike]

I think him being a SF/PF is the less of his problems. Other than being a scorer he really brings little else to the game. He has the same issues of a Jabari Parker.

?

he's infinitely more efficient scoring than Parker, better on the boards by a substantial margin and in a completely different class as a shot blocker/rim protector.

i don't get this comp at all tbh.

Again, this is not a one on one comparison but general comparison about positives and negatives they both share hence why I said they share the same issue. Two guy who are pretty good on offense but poor defenders.

In terms of Bol by respectively he is a poor rebounder for his height. He is 7 feet tall but only avgs 7 rebounds per game. In the last 3 games he only had 7, 6, 5 rebounders respectively. That is poor. Yes, Bol provides rim protection however the guy is too weak and slow to provide any kid of defense.

First of all Bol is guarding more on the perimeter and second of all look at his minutes. His rebounding is great based on those two facts. The issue is we need WCJ back to anchor the center position

[MagicManMike]

Last few games his minutes have been cut due to his defensive deficiencies. If he is playing with guys like Suggs, Carter, and Issac he'd be fine most likely.

This is spot on. Bol has to work on his defense, which is something that can be taught. His offensive abilities are rare and can’t be taught.

[clyde21]

Last few games his minutes have been cut due to his defensive deficiencies. If he is playing with guys like Suggs, Carter, and Issac he'd be fine most likely.

possibly

should be noted that he has the highest defensive rating and 2nd highest DBPM on the Magic right now

he does have his defensive problems tho, i think he's a much better help guy than a 1v1 guy defensively

[MagicManMike]

Just curious what a lineup with Bol would look like should we get one of the top two picks.

Fultz
Franz
Bol
PB
Wemby

Or

Scoot
Franz
Bol
PB
WCJ

If you had to choose one which would it be.

Option one has three overall number one picks and two in Bol and Franz that one should have been top five picked (Franz) or previously projected top 5 (Bol)

[Rainwater]

?

he's infinitely more efficient scoring than Parker, better on the boards by a substantial margin and in a completely different class as a shot blocker/rim protector.

i don't get this comp at all tbh.

Again, this is not a one on one comparison but general comparison about positives and negatives they both share hence why I said they share the same issue. Two guy who are pretty good on offense but poor defenders.

In terms of Bol by respectively he is a poor rebounder for his height. He is 7 feet tall but only avgs 7 rebounds per game. In the last 3 games he only had 7, 6, 5 rebounders respectively. That is poor. Yes, Bol provides rim protection however the guy is too weak and slow to provide any kid of defense.

First of all Bol is guarding more on the perimeter and second of all look at his minutes. His rebounding is great based on those two facts. The issue is we need WCJ back to anchor the center position

I see what you are saying but I don't believe it is acceptable he is only grabbing 7 rebounds. When WCJ and Suggs come back I wouldn't be shocked if he heads back to the bench. He's not a starter.

[clyde21]

Again, this is not a one on one comparison but general comparison about positives and negatives they both share hence why I said they share the same issue. Two guy who are pretty good on offense but poor defenders.

In terms of Bol by respectively he is a poor rebounder for his height. He is 7 feet tall but only avgs 7 rebounds per game. In the last 3 games he only had 7, 6, 5 rebounders respectively. That is poor. Yes, Bol provides rim protection however the guy is too weak and slow to provide any kid of defense.

First of all Bol is guarding more on the perimeter and second of all look at his minutes. His rebounding is great based on those two facts. The issue is we need WCJ back to anchor the center position

I see what you are saying but I don't believe it is acceptable he is only grabbing 7 rebounds. When WCJ and Suggs come back I wouldn't be shocked if he heads back to the bench. He's not a starter.

he's averaging 10 rebs per 36, more than Embiid.