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It’s impossible for Bol Bol to blend in.
Parading across the gym or exploring downtown Denver, the 7-foot-2 center with legs that seem to carry him from one side of the Nuggets’ second-floor practice court to the other in a few single bounds draws more than a few sets of eyeballs wherever he goes. Moments after Denver’s second Summer League practice ended on Tuesday, Bol stood at the foul line and shot free-throws as red lights from the array video cameras positioned on the baseline flickered on and iPhones began to snap pictures of the Nuggets’ newest draft pick in action.
A few minutes earlier, Bol addressed the media for the first time since draft night and explained how he’s getting acclimated to a city and team that he thinks is the right fit for him. Falling all the way to 44th overall may have been a blessing in disguise.
“I haven’t even played a game yet so I don’t know why I’d be disappointed, and I could have went undrafted and that’s even worse,” Bol said Tuesday reflecting back to the draft. “I ended up in a perfect situation so I think everything worked out fine.”
Bol has been in Denver for just over a week. He’s explored the city and posed for more pictures with fans than he can remember. His height is of course where most of those conversations with Nuggets faithful that he meets downtown and around the arena lead.
Inside the walls of Pepsi Center, Bol is getting comfortable with his surroundings as well. He won’t play at Summer League but has started doing a bit of light on-court work with Denver’s player development coaches. The 19-year-old has been working some weight and core strength training into his daily regiment as well with an eye on the future not the present.
“They’re not rushing me to do anything. Everything is at our pace,” Bol said. “We’re slowing everything down for me to come back at 100%.”
The Nuggets’ plan to stay patient with the big man is why Bol thinks he’s landed in the right city. Bol says he’s fully healthy but hasn’t been on the court much since he underwent foot surgery in January. If he had been selected in the first round where many draft experts pegged him at, the demand for immediate on-court contributions may have been heightened. If those contributions come in 2020, or even further down the road, Denver’s investment in Bol will be well worth the wait.
Bol’s talent is obvious. At 7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-8 wingspan, his size and skill-set are unique. He was a marksman from 3 in college, converting on 52% of his triples over the nine games he played at Oregon. Bol also blocked 2.7 shots per game and can cover a ton of ground on the defensive end of the floor with his length.
He’s also incredibly young. A year ago he was packing his bags for the University of Oregon and 12 months before that he was attending his fourth high school in as many years. He’s a loyal SpongeBob SquarePants fan and has a tattoo on his right leg to commemorate a scene from the show’s first ever episode which is also his favorite.
“I feel like I was still in high school like three months ago,” Bol said. “And then the draft happened and now I’m finally in the NBA. It just came a lot faster than I thought.”
Although Bol said Tuesday that he and the team are still working on a firm plan for how he’ll progress on the floor this summer, it’s clear the organization will take a patient approach with its latest draft pick. With a loaded roster that’s already packed with a rookie in Michael Porter Jr., who’s drawn rave reviews throughout the summer and could be on track for a rotation spot on opening night next season, as well as other young up-and-comers, Denver can afford to wait on Bol.
Bol enjoys a friendship with Porter that goes back to when he was nine-years-old but most of the Nuggets’ roster is still unfamiliar with Denver’s second-round pick. Teammates have been reaching out to welcome Bol to town and he’ll bond with them more in Las Vegas where he’ll travel with the team this weekend even though he won’t play.
“It’s been amazing so far,” Bol said about his experience in Denver. “It’s been pretty fun being around these guys.”
More from Denver’s second Summer League practice
Vlatko Cancar sprained his ankle last week after stepping on a teammate’s foot and wasn’t participating in 5-on-5 drills to end practice Tuesday. But Cancar is confident he’ll be ready to play this weekend when Denver opens the Las Vegas showcase Friday night in a matchup against the Suns. The 6-foot-9 Slovenian who Denver drafted 49th overall in 2017 and has been playing in Spain said the Nuggets haven’t guaranteed him a roster spot for next season but hopes a strong showing at Summer League will convince Denver’s brass that he deserves one.
“Multi-positional, on offense, on defense. He can play-make. He can shoot. He guards multiple positions. He’s got good hands, good feet,” Summer League coach Jordi Fernandez said describing Cancar’s skill-set. “That’s a luxury to have that type of guy. So for us, I think it’s pretty exciting to get a second-rounder like that.”
Jarred Vanderbilt, who didn’t participate in 5-on-5 full-contact drills to open training camp, did Tuesday as well. The 2017 second-round pick will likely start in the frontcourt next to Michael Porter Jr. and Thomas Welsh at Summer League.
