Jonah Bolden

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Jonah Bolden 

Post#1 » by GimmeDat » Wed May 24, 2017 5:56 am

The next great Aussie talent, imo.

I'm not the only person hyping him up, either, there's been a lot of love on this forum for him. Seems like the major draft sites are still sleeping, though.

Fran's been hyping him up, however -

Read on Twitter


As has this exec. -

“That’s a kid I think people are kind of missing on,” a Western Conference executive said. “I’ve watched him intently. Serbian basketball has really taken a hit from a financial standpoint. They’re not playing in front of 20,000 people. But he’s accepted his environment. It can be a harsh place for minorities -- not from a racial type thing.

“It’s just a real different environment. It’s a big city, but it’s a slum city. People don’t smile much. Older people don’t smile because they don’t have anything. The young people think what they see on TV is what comes out of America. It puts a lot of pressure on a kid who’s different from what they think. They’re on a shoestring budget, and he’s produced.”

Said a Southwest Division executive: “he’s off the radar now and starting to gain interest … watched him live in game and practice in Belgrade -- he’s a slasher and runner -- plays inside and out and shoots the three with ease. He’s improved.”


How high do you have him? Mid-1st? Late 1st? 2nd round?

I have him as a late 1st right now - probably higher if I had confidence in him from workouts and the like. I think he has fringe lottery potential. There's question marks based on age/competition level, etc. that push him down a bit for me at the moment, but the potential is definitely there and he's my #1 target for the Bulls in the 2nd round.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#2 » by yanuary » Wed May 24, 2017 7:07 am

He is one of my few sleepers i would love to see him with #28, personally i would draft him in top20, maybe even in late lotto.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#3 » by PLO » Wed May 24, 2017 7:15 am

If he were in last years draft, where Thon Maker (who, lets face it, was basically entirely potential) went 10th, I don't think there's any doubt he'd have gone lottery. These "Simmons generation" Aussies look to be the best in the nations history and given the top-notch coaching/systems the nation has will likely address the lack of an Australian mens Olympic basketball medal before too long.

Would like him on the 6ers but he's not going to last to our second round picks it seems; Simmons has obviously played with him before.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#4 » by GimmeDat » Wed May 24, 2017 8:52 am

PLO wrote:Would like him on the 6ers but he's not going to last to our second round picks it seems; Simmons has obviously played with him before.


Funnily enough, I'm not sure they ever have played with or against each other before. Simmons was from Victoria, Bolden NSW.

I remember watching Bolden back in 2013 and thinking this kid had a shades of Simmons at the same age, though. Obviously different games but over here a similar level of dominance and fluidity as 6'10 guys.

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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#5 » by PLO » Wed May 24, 2017 9:52 am

Guess I just assumed they'd played against each other at some stage given both were playing year round and Australian junior circles can't be that big.

Bolden is obviously not as physically dominant or as gifted as Simmons but has much more of an outside game - he's a much easier fit in terms of translatable skills to the current NBA just because he is actually prepared to shoot the ball. In terms of the footage we've seen of him you can see his skills fitting pretty seamlessly on a lot of rosters in the NBA; because of that he will go earlier than many expect in this draft. Obviously this is not to say he's a lock to make it in the NBA but you'd think with the mix of skills he has and the fact he was prepared to grind it out in Europe that he's got a better chance than a lot of draftees outside of the top 10 or so in this draft.

I think there's a thread on him on nba_draft reddit? Pretty sure I was reading something on there the other day about him, some stuff about top prospect for the league he is playing in was particuarly interesting.
LakersDynasty14 wrote:Lonzo Ball is literally on a Hall of Fame trajectory at this point. This thread is so full of fail.


shakes0 wrote:I hope they put Simmons on Trae. He'll foul him out by the 3rd quarter. plus Simmons can't stay in front of Trae. No one can.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#6 » by SelfishPlayer » Wed May 24, 2017 11:18 am

The collective highlighs I have seen of this guy have him looking like an NBA starter as a stretch 4. I've seen him break ankles and hit a bunch of pro distance 3's in a row during games. That's in addition to having geat athleticism that allows him to dunk all over people. His competition may have been weak but he still did these things with real NBA length and real NBA athleticism. He has a rare size skill combination. He's worth developing on a bench.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#7 » by Goldbum » Wed May 24, 2017 2:29 pm

If that 7'4" wingspan I've read is accurate, I could see Portland grabbing him with one of its picks.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#8 » by Blazinaway » Wed May 24, 2017 2:51 pm

Is he going to do workouts here or is he still playing in Serbia? I think the Serbian league plays into June? and I like him a lot, would be a perfect fit next to Nurk and in the Stotts offense
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#9 » by doordoor123 » Wed May 24, 2017 3:13 pm

I think Bolden goes in the 20s, but I have him behind Jonathan Isaac, Bam Adebayo, Lauri Markkanen, DJ Wilson, TJ Leaf, Harry Giles and Caleb Swanigan. Ideally if he actually has a 7'4 wingspan I would put him on par with DJ Wilson, ahead of Leaf, Giles and Swanigan. If he has a 7'1 wingspan I think he's after all these guys. Would also consider John Collins, Kyle Kuzma, Tyler Lydon and Jonathan Motley in the same spot.

I love players that have a good feel for the game and I think both DJ Wilson and TJ Leaf have an excellent feel for the game. Giles could become a huge steal so I feel the need to consider him. Swanigan has the size of a center and can just do everything offensively. The question with Swanigan is how much his defense will affect his stock. His wingspan is also important for me, he can play both PF and C. And I'm not low on the players I put behind Bolden too. I just think he has something over all of them. Over John Collins: Bolden is already a good three point shooter and unlike Collins, he can defend. Both have good verticals and if Bolden has a 7'1 wingspan instead of 7'4, they both have a similar wingspan. Kyle Kuzma - Not as athletic, but more fluid than Bolden, who is a bit older and a little taller. Tyler Lydon is a better shooter, but that's really it. And Jonathan Motley has a better body and he should be able to play some center with his size and strength. Bolden could likely play small-ball center, but I think Motley can legit play center.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#10 » by zzaj » Wed May 24, 2017 11:58 pm

Looking at who is projected around #15, I would have no problem with Portland taking Bolden that high. I expect him to be just as good as any big in this draft.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#11 » by Masterfully » Thu May 25, 2017 12:21 am

zzaj wrote:Looking at who is projected around #15, I would have no problem with Portland taking Bolden that high. I expect him to be just as good as any big in this draft.

What do you base this on? Bolden was very very... not good in college. And since then he played in a backwater Serbian league, where he still wasn't spectacular.

I'm not saying he won't ever be good, but you seem to see something I don't. I'd take Swanigan or Motley or Leaf or Bam or Rabb or Bell or several other players ahead of Bolden without a second thought.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#12 » by zzaj » Thu May 25, 2017 5:13 pm

Masterfully wrote:
zzaj wrote:Looking at who is projected around #15, I would have no problem with Portland taking Bolden that high. I expect him to be just as good as any big in this draft.

What do you base this on? Bolden was very very... not good in college. And since then he played in a backwater Serbian league, where he still wasn't spectacular.

I'm not saying he won't ever be good, but you seem to see something I don't. I'd take Swanigan or Motley or Leaf or Bam or Rabb or Bell or several other players ahead of Bolden without a second thought.


I'm speaking of specific fit on the Blazers and upside. A very good outside shooting, 6'10" PF that already has shown a great feel for defense (both man and weakside) and has quick enough feet to guard perimeter oriented players and switch when needed, is exactly what the Blazers need. He ticks all the boxes.

Swanigan, Motley, Leaf, Bam, Rabb, Bell all have significant question marks at #15 for the Blazers, IMO. Of those, Swanigan is probably the closest best fit as a potential starter at PF...but only if he addresses footspeed questions (he looked much thinner in pictures from the combine, so that's good) and continues to improve his outside shot (which I believe is for real). But even then he's not a great rim protector.

By Bolden's own admission, he was "immature" coming into UCLA and didn't handle the situation well. Despite relatively poor play, the Adriatic is an incredibly physical, tough, "man's" league by all accounts. The fact that he's shown improvement in many facets of the game there, is a good sign IMO.

Lastly, I understand drafting Bolden at #15 is a reach, currently. But I don't really see a ton of difference in talent level between the bigs currently projected in that range and Bolden...so it comes down to fit, skill set, and who you believe has the highest upside. For me, that's Bolden. I think his time at UCLA and going to the far-flung Adriatic league has kept him as an afterthought for a lot of "popular" draft sites, but every account I've read from GMs and Scouts tend to gush about him as a prospect. I fully expect him to get drafted in the first round...

Masterfully, just in case you missed it, here is a nice summation of all the good thing he brings to the table (while obviously ignoring all of the bad).

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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#13 » by Catchall » Fri May 26, 2017 5:57 am

Basically, he's like Larry Nance with a sweet jump shot.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#14 » by doordoor123 » Fri May 26, 2017 11:45 am

Catchall wrote:Basically, he's like Larry Nance with a sweet jump shot.


Except he has 4 more inches on his wingspan and moves better on the perimeter. He's also younger coming into the league and already has a good three point shot.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#15 » by Ruzious » Fri May 26, 2017 1:38 pm

doordoor123 wrote:
Catchall wrote:Basically, he's like Larry Nance with a sweet jump shot.


Except he has 4 more inches on his wingspan and moves better on the perimeter. He's also younger coming into the league and already has a good three point shot.

Nance was measured with a 7'1.5 wingspan. Can you provide a link that says Bolden has a 7'5.5 wingspan? Apologies if someone has already done this.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#16 » by pad300 » Fri May 26, 2017 1:59 pm

Ruzious wrote:
doordoor123 wrote:
Catchall wrote:Basically, he's like Larry Nance with a sweet jump shot.


Except he has 4 more inches on his wingspan and moves better on the perimeter. He's also younger coming into the league and already has a good three point shot.

Nance was measured with a 7'1.5 wingspan. Can you provide a link that says Bolden has a 7'5.5 wingspan? Apologies if someone has already done this.



The video above says he has a 7'4" wingspan - 13 seconds in...
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#17 » by doordoor123 » Fri May 26, 2017 2:03 pm

pad300 wrote:
Ruzious wrote:
doordoor123 wrote:
Except he has 4 more inches on his wingspan and moves better on the perimeter. He's also younger coming into the league and already has a good three point shot.

Nance was measured with a 7'1.5 wingspan. Can you provide a link that says Bolden has a 7'5.5 wingspan? Apologies if someone has already done this.



The video above says he has a 7'4" wingspan - 13 seconds in...


That's the rumor. I've heard 7'1, 7'3 and 7'4. Not sure which one is correct, but he looks abnormally long so I think it's more 7'3/7'4.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#18 » by BlazersBroncos » Fri May 26, 2017 2:20 pm

I am a huge fan of his upside. I think he has a lot of Donyell Marshall to his game (Marshall was 6'09 and 210lbs as a rookie, with pretty lanky arms too, and only got to 245-250lbs later in his career. Bolden is 6'10 and 215lbs now). Marshall was one of the earliest stretch-4's but also managed decent blocks / rebound numbers. A guy that you ideally have as your #4 option, and only works next to a strong Center. That's why his fit in Portland next to Nurkic seems so nice, not to mention his floor spacing with Lillard and CJ kicking out for the open 3.

I would have no issue with Portland taking him #15. If he can become a Donyell Marshall type player for us in time, it would be a great selection.

Right on Donyell - he was a stretch 4 before it became popular - real talented player - would have been better if he ever got in shape - he was on the pudgy side in the NBA - not as bad as John "Hot Plate" Williams of the Bullets - from the Larry Nance, Sr era.
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#19 » by zzaj » Fri May 26, 2017 11:26 pm

Interesting...

Doing a little more research, it looks like Bolden is really interested in playing SF...and apparently, that is where FMP Beograd has been playing him and seeing success. It also sounds like it was one of the main reasons he left UCLA--because he felt like he was getting underutilized as a traditional PF in that system.

Obviously the lines already get blurred a little bit if you are talking about a modern day stretch PF and a traditional SF, but I thought that this was interesting nonetheless...

http://www.bruinsnation.com/ucla_basketball/2016/8/4/12384930/jonah-bolden-left-ucla-because-alford-didn-t-use-his-skillset
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Re: Jonah Bolden 

Post#20 » by Gam » Sat Jun 17, 2017 3:47 pm

Bump.

This dude's going to go top 20, I've got him 9th on my board.

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