Draft prospects like 7’2″ center Bol Bol are few and far between.
The son of former NBA center Manute Bol, who stood 7’7″, Bol is capable of rebounding and blocking shots as well as scoring. But it’s the way he scores that makes him especially tantalizing: the 3-point shot.
Through nine NCAA games in November and December, Bol hit double figures in every one and hit 57 percent of his field goals from the floor, specifically stroking it at 52 percent from 3-point land.
Bol’s talent showcase came to an abrupt halt in January when he was lost for the season with a non-displaced fracture of the navicular bone in his left foot.
In spite of his season being cut short, Bol decided to declare for the NBA draft and should go in the first round next week. But how high will he be picked? NBA insiders are split on that topic.
“Be careful. Everybody is lying about Bol Bol,” one team executive told Bleacher Report. “Every team thinks they have him figured out. The ones who like him a lot are spreading negative rumors about him, and the ones who don’t want to draft him are propping him up.”
Scouts are high on Bol’s unique skill set, but some aren’t sold on his commitment to playing basketball or confident that his slight frame can withstand the physicality of the NBA.
“He has top-five talent, no question,” a league source told Bleacher Report. “But when you throw the injury in the mix, where he goes is anyone’s guess. I wouldn’t be surprised if he went in the top seven, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he went 19th.”
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