We had no news since his selection in 44th position in the 2019 Draft – evening of disillusionment for the one we expected in the first round – it seems that Bol Bol has set the sights. This Friday after Magic practice, Wendell Carter Jr. praised Manute’s son calling him likely “best shooter in the team”. Amazing.
How is it that since his arrival in the NBA in the summer of 2019, Bol Bol has only played 53 games for only 6.2 minutes of play on average? At 22, this 4/5 2m18 position hasn’t even spent most of his time in the G League to develop there. A strange situation above which hovers the explanation of the injury factor. Last January, we learned of the cancellation of his trade in Detroit because of a problem during the medical visit. Two months later, Jeff Weltman – the president of basketball operations for the Magic – communicated the end of the season for Bol Bol, still not recovered from his foot operation. With large bodies, huge tweezers: the freak is only 22 years old and is not cut off when he is in a big mess, as any rotational background player would be. On his passages in the garbage time (we rarely see him enter during the match) he draws – still since 2019 – at 48% shooting including 38% at 3-point. Honorable stats for a jewel that we thought would take longer to polish, but whose absence is ultimately not justified by the level of play. These percentages make him a formidable shooter, as mentioned by Wendell Carter Jr. this Friday , after training.
“No one can really counter it. Bol shoots so high he’s probably the best shooter on the team, but we’re all pretty good shooters. – Wendell Carter Jr. pour Cody Taylor
A stone in the pond: for Bol Bol, the day after this declaration will probably not be happier. Unless he has a huge job in the submarine and a physical condition that tends towards the best, it is difficult to see how the freak could scratch a spot in a Florida rotation which, year after year, wins – by its policy of reconstruction – in talent. In reality, little interest is given to this declaration, at least as long as physical guarantees are not clearly exposed through… playing time. In this new season, Bol Bol is playing big: he will touch $2.2 million for fiscal year 2022-23, then has an additional non-guaranteed year on his contract. The amount would be the same, provided of course the Magic decided to keep it for the 2023-24 season. The file is well managed by John Hammond who, as long as collective results are not expected, takes a false risk in the short term. In the event of a good surprise, the non-guaranteed year allows him not to let Bol slip away to a higher bidder. Are we still far from it? Very clearly. The physical condition of the Stephen Curry Enderman edition must first stabilize. Without the validation of this parameter, it is difficult to predict three or four more years in the NBA.
This guy, if he manages to integrate the rotation of the Magic in a constant way, we can only take our hat off to him. He doesn’t look like he’s the latest to arrive in training and seems to be doing a lot to bring his physical fragility into the spotlight. It’s good. Then we just assume eh, it turns out he has Balotelli’s lifestyle.