A smile 19 months in the making: Why Bol Bol is the biggest winner in the bubble

In his first competitive action since last December, Bol Bol corralled a defensive rebound, galloped down the middle of the floor, caught a pass from Troy Daniels a step inside the foul line, and in one motion soared to the rim.

Then, the Nuggets’ rookie smiled.

You’ve probably seen the picture by now of Bol sporting an ear to ear grin mid-dunk during the Nuggets’ first scrimmage against the Wizards.

It’s a smile that was 19 months in the making.

This is the look of a guy who should have been a top 5 pick, but because of injury and doubt, he dropped to the 44th pick, but knows he’s gonna make those teams pay who passed on him. pic.twitter.com/dul7gb1nK1

— Jeremy Nicolls (@JeremyNicolls) July 23, 2020

Once upon a time, Bol was the fourth-ranked recruit in ESPN’s top 100 but ended up playing only nine games at the University of Oregon. Bol’s last college game was on Dec. 12, 2018, and his freshman season ended when he underwent foot surgery to repair a stress fracture to his navicular bone, the same bone that Joel Embiid once broke twice in around a year.

Bol went through a tiresome rehab program that continued once the Nuggets traded into the second round of the draft to acquire him 44th overall. Over the next several months, Bol primarily watched from the sidelines, and the 7-foot-2 big man only participated in a few Nuggets practices this season. When he wasn’t in Denver, Bol, who turns 22 in November, was on assignment with the G League’s Windy City Bulls, more than 1,000 miles away from his teammates and coaches for weeks at a time.

But now, for the first time since being drafted, Bol’s one of the guys again. The Nuggets have been inside the Disney World bubble for the last few weeks, and 19 months after Bol’s freshman season at Oregon ended, he’s once again alongside his teammates on a day in day out basis.

He’s finally practicing consistently. Before games, he actually gets to put on the Nuggets’ warmups instead of a suit jacket. He’s playing in games and impressing. After the final buzzer sounds, Bol can publish the standard postgame Instagram post with action shots from the game he just played.

“It’s been a long journey because I spent most of the season watching practice,” Bol said. “… It’s pretty fun. It’s been what I’ve looked forward to.”

The Nuggets have been looking forward to watching Bol play too. Denver had Bol pegged as a top-10 pick on its draft board but knew it would be a long process to get him on the floor, so the Nuggets kept Bol on a slow and steady track. Eventually, the team was shuttling Bol to Chicago for a handful of G League games at a time before flying him back to Denver so he could get a routine check-up from the Nuggets’ medical staff.

Now, Denver is reaping the rewards.

In Bol’s Nuggets’ debut, he was electric. Bol was on the floor 32 minutes, the most he’s played since the 33 minutes he logged in his final college game and tallied 16 points, ten rebounds, and six blocks. He turned away both shots at the rim and mid-range jumpers, leaving opposing shooters befuddled by his 7-foot-9 wingspan.

Just three minutes into the first quarter of the Nuggets’ first scrimmage, Bol blocked a layup attempt, caught the loose ball, dribbled down the floor, and looked off first-team All-NBA center Nikola Jokic who was signaling for a pass. Then, Bol pulled up from beyond the 3-point line and knocked down his first NBA triple.

Against the Wizards, Bol scored around the basket, ran the floor, finished in transition, and even dabbled in a few pick-and-roll actions with Jokic. In Denver’s second scrimmage a few days later, Bol knocked in two more 3-pointers and scored 15 points to go with two blocks.

For my money, Bol’s a legitimate 3-point shooter. He routinely won shooting competitions at Nuggets practices early in the regular season, and Denver’s front office marvels at his jump shot. Bol has flashed how he can be a game-changer on the defensive end and covers more ground than most, if not all, NBA rim protectors right now. Just ask JJ Redick.

How the fuck did he get to that shot?

— JJ Redick (@jj_redick) July 26, 2020

Against New Orleans, Bol showed off other aspects of his game. Late in the second quarter, he ran a dribble hand-off with Jokic, kept his dribble low (with his left hand), got into the paint, and finished among collapsing defenders.

Bol also had this smart pass to a cutting Tyler Cook after he drew two defenders on a drive.

Those aren’t skills that your typical seven-footer has, but would we have seen them if Michael Malone had his full rotation available during these scrimmages? Probably not to this extent. If Denver had its regular allotment of guards, we likely would have gotten a sampling of Bol but not the full three-course meal.

It’s partly why Bol has been the big winner from the first few weeks inside the NBA bubble. On the floor, he’s getting more reps than he would under normal circumstances and shining. Off it, he’s coming out of his shell. Bol is relatively reserved, according to people close to the team, but now that he’s practicing, playing, and around his teammates more, he’s opening up.

“He’s starting to relax,” Malone said. “He’s starting to get more comfortable, and his true personality is coming out.”

Sources close to Bol have often remarked over the last few months that slipping in the draft and enduring multiple G League stints inspired him to work even harder at his craft and forced him to mature faster. In a way, Bol grew up a lot over the last year.

In the end, it all could be worth it. Like Michael Porter Jr. a season ago, Bol had to rehab and patiently wait his turn before joining the rotation this season. The fact that he’s producing like he is on the court now despite the injury and the limited G League minutes that he’s played over the last calendar year is pretty remarkable.

But how will Bol’s role evolve as the Nuggets’ roster gets healthier? Mainly because of his inexperience and Denver’s depth, it’s tough to envision him playing meaningful playoff minutes. However, Malone could still deploy him across the eight seeding games while Denver’s regular rotation has its minutes ramped up. It’s no surprise, but after more than seven months in between live-action 5-on-5, there’s some rust on Bol’s game. He committed nine turnovers across two games and is shooting just 12 of 33 (36.4%) from the floor. Defensively, he’s incredibly raw and has found himself out of position at times but should improve with more reps on that end of the floor.

Playing with an actual point guard would help Bol out on the offensive end of the floor. In the Nuggets’ two scrimmages, Bol didn’t play his natural position. He hasn’t played with a point guard like Jamal Murray, Monte Morris, or PJ Dozier, who Bol bonded with while the two were on G League stints with the Windy City Bulls earlier this season, according to a league source. Imagine the open looks he’d get playing with a balanced lineup or alongside a five-man unit of Murray, Gary Harris or Will Barton, Porter, and Jokic.

Teammates have been quick to recognize Bol’s talent. Will Barton has already given the rookie his stamp of approval. Mason Plumlee warned everyone on a Zoom call two weeks ago to “be ready.”

“He is a really talented player. He’s really young. He needs to learn a lot, but the talent is there,” Jokic said. “The joy is there. He likes to compete. He likes to play, so he has a really good future in front of him. Of course, work is there that he needs to put in, but as long as he’s working, I think he’s going to be fine.”

The fact that Bol worked his way back from a career-threatening injury and is turning heads in the bubble after playing such few minutes over the last calendar year is a victory in itself. It’s a bonus that he’s stuffing the box score with dunks and 3-pointers while showing off the exceptional rim protection and game-changing range on defense that once made him a projected top-10 pick.

That’s something to smile about.