NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Jonah Bolden
By Adam McGee
After a year in Europe, could Australia’s Jonah Bolden leave his mark on this year’s NBA Draft?
Who is Jonah Bolden?
Jonah Bolden certainly enters this year’s NBA Draft with a more interesting story than most of his peers.
Born in Australia, Bolden would have first entered the radar of most observers of American basketball when he landed at UCLA.
The 21-year-old had a pretty tumultuous time as a Bruin, missing his first season due to academic ineligibility, before playing a pretty limited role in 2015-16.
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The result was Bolden made the decision to forgo his final two years of college eligibility, instead pursuing a professional career overseas.
While early indications suggested Bolden would try his luck back home in Australia, he ultimately wound up in the much more reputable Adriatic League. That particular league has become something of a feeder ground for draft talent in recent years, and Bolden impressed while playing around Eastern Europe.
Bolden now refocuses toward his ultimate goal of the NBA, and does so equipped with greater experience against hardened professionals and some major improvements in his game.
How will that impact his draft stock? Let’s take a closer look at his strengths, weaknesses, and more.