With bol bol, the Denver Nuggets have a raw gem, a mixture of size and rare basketball qualities, which unfortunately did not have much opportunity to express themselves. He fell a bit to the Nuggets at the wrong time as the team are aiming for the title and no longer have too much of a goal of developing their players as was the case before he landed there, and he did not shown enough to get more than 5 minutes of average playing time out of 32 games last season.
“He’s a huge person in terms of physical stature, height, length, and he’s really, really talented,” Mile Malone said. “Our first three years, we were in development, and the young guys had the opportunity to play, and more importantly, to play with mistakes. Well, Bol doesn’t have that option. All we try to do is have home advantage for the playoffs. ”
Not easy when in addition there are veterans in front of him in the rotation or even players more ready than him like Paul Millsap, JaMychal Green, Zeke Nnaji, JaVale McGee or Isaiah Hartenstein. Then there is a post problem. Too frail to play indoors and too tall to defend on exteriors, which complicates matters.
For his teammate Michael Porter Jr., who has managed to develop while making a place in the rotation, it takes a change of mind.
“He scores, he against shoots, he plays with a good attitude and a good energy,” says Michael Porter Jr. “It’s really good to see. I try not to let go of him, because he can be part of this team and help us do great things. He’s just going to need a change of mind, and I think he’s ready to do it. I try to text him, tell him to hang out with me, to come with me to the gym at night, that sort of thing, because this kid is very talented. ”
He comes out of a beautiful summer league in Las Vegas since in 3 games he dominated with 21.7 points at 44.2% including 40% from far, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, but his attitude and his state of mind seem to be one of the keys.
“He’s young, and it hasn’t escaped our notice,” said Malone. “But he just needs to be a little more consistent, day to day, to be ready so that when his number is called he can go out on the pitch and play at a high level. And then you get a few more minutes on a regular basis, and then you become part of the rotation and you build from there. ”
This 2021-22 season could be crucial for the rest of the former Oregon’s career, it is up to him to create opportunities and seize them, otherwise he could just remain a player with intriguing potential.
Via Denver Post
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