NBA Draft 2019 Prospect Watch: Bol Bol

By Jordan Treske | Jun 18, 2019

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 15: Oregon Ducks center Bol Bol (1) during the first half of the College Basketball game between the Oregon Ducks and the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 15, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, IL – MAY 14: Bol Bol poses for a portrait at the 2019 NBA Draft Combine on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

CHICAGO, IL – MAY 14: Bol Bol poses for a portrait at the 2019 NBA Draft Combine on May 14, 2019 at the Chicago Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Standing as the biggest wild card of this year’s NBA Draft for a variety of reasons on and off the court, we look at the game of University of Oregon big man, Bol Bol.

One of the most well known and covered prospects heading Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Bol Bol brings a whole host of questions wrapped around his 7’2″ frame.

The first son of the late Manute Bol, Bol’s journey to the NBA was incredibly winding and at times, harrowing after he and his family had to escape war-torn Sudan during the second Sudanese civil war after Manute was accused of being an American spy when Bol was only two years old.

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Eventually, the Bol family found their way to the United States as political refugees and Bol found the game of basketball upon his father’s guidance and wishes, though Bol didn’t take to the game initially.

The weight of that and being the son of Manute has continued to follow Bol even after his father’s untimely death in 2010 as Bol told Corban Goble of the New York Times back February 2015:

"“Everyone thinks that I’m probably going to be the one, so everything’s on me,” Bol said. “I want to finish what he didn’t do.”"

Numerous questions and concerns surround Bol as we head into draft night and his one year the University of Oregon did very little to quell any of them, given that he suffered a season-ending foot injury. However, Bol’s raw talent has shined all throughout the amateur ranks, to the point where he was considered a lottery pick before his lone year in Eugene.

In his nine regular season appearances with the Ducks this year, Bol averaged 21 points on shooting splits of .561/.520/.757, 9.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.0 assists across 29.8 minutes per contest.

So without further ado, let’s dive deep into the game of the enigmatic Bol Bol, starting with his strengths, his weaknesses, where draft experts currently rate him and examine his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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