Fansided

2019 NBA Draft grades for every team: Pelicans get an A+, Rockets get an F

By Brandon Jefferson

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Zion Williamson poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: Zion Williamson poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted with the first overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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Bol Bol
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 01: Oregon Ducks center Bol Bol (1) holds on to the rebound during the basketball game between the Oregon Ducks and Houston Cougars on December 1, 2018 at Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Denver Nuggets – B-

44th Overall – Bol Bol, Center (Oregon)

Last year, armed with what the team hoped to be their last lottery pick for a long time, the Denver Nuggets selected Michael Porter Jr. 14th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. Porter Jr. was known as the best player in that class before a back injury would force him to miss the majority of his lone college season with the Missouri Tigers. He would come back at the end of the season to play in the SEC and NCAA Tournament but he looked like a shell of his former self causing him to drop on draft night with the Nuggets waiting to scoop him up.

This year, Denver didn’t have any picks but when they saw another player who was projected as one of the best in the 2019 NBA Draft class fall down the board they once again came to the rescue. This time, it was Bol Bol of Oregon that the team took. Bol Bol is probably the draft’s biggest enigma. At 7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, Bol (the son of Manute Bol) will be one of the tallest a DNS’s longest players in the NBA as a rookie. However, he is no traditional big man. Bol might look like a giant but he has the skills of the guard. He’s comfortable attacking off the dribble and he’s one of the best three-point shooters in the entire draft. Plus, for all those guard-like qualities he still offers defensive value as a rim-protector.

With all of that going for him, why then did Bol wait hours in the green room before hearing his name called? Injuries and intangibles. After playing nine games at Oregon, Bol suffered a stress fracture in his foot. Foot injuries in seven-footers are usually not a good sign. However, the red flags were raised more due to his actions off the court and online. It was reported that just three days after the injury he was spotted in Los Angeles partying. If you follow his social media accounts you can see multiple posts of him rubbing elbows with a who’s who of celebrities. Enjoying fame isn’t a sin but when a team is trying to decide if you are worth millions of dollars or not it probably helps to not have a digital trail of you basking in the spoils of Hollywood.

Back to the court, Bol has made it known that he is 100% healthy, even having a pro day workout shortly before the 2019 NBA Draft. After drafting Porter Jr. and Jared Vanderbilt last year and letting their medical team rehab them for a full season, Denver is confident that their medical staff could keep Bol healthy. If that is the case then the potential lineups that the Nuggets could put on the floor are going to be mind-blowing.

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