Redrafting the 2019 NBA Draft: Injury concerns and flawed greatness

How high can Bol Bol rise on the strength of one quarter-season after spending the first three years of his career glued to the bench? That is the question we must all reckon with. Right now, Bol looks much better than the No. 12 pick. He’s a sensation, lighting the NBA world on fire with his monster two-way numbers in Orlando. But, he’s also historically injury-prone, and, again, we’ve only seen about 20 games of sustained productive NBA basketball from the Oregon product.

Bol was drafted by Denver in the second round, which ultimately proved quite harmful for his NBA development. He never really got a chance there, in part due to injuries, but also because the Nuggets were trying to win games. Now in Orlando, Bol is suddenly the starting power forward. He has leapfrogged Mo Bamba in the frontcourt pecking order after Bamba’s own breakout campaign last season. And heck, he looks very much like a winning player.

He’s still only 23 years old. Any 23-year-old rookie doing what Bol is currently doing would probably fall comfortably in this range, if not higher. One shouldn’t necessarily penalize Bol for his three years in obscurity. That said, the long list of injuries on his résumé — along with the natural concerns tied to his string-bean frame — cannot be ignored.

But let’s focus for now on his current level of play. And the upside, because the NBA Draft is ultimately about upside. Bol has been one of the NBA’s best rim protectors through 20-odd games while also hitting over 40 percent of his 3-point attempts. He can defend competently in space, he can handle the ball fluidity in transition, and there are flashes of legitimate pull-up shooting from a 7-foot-2 big. He’s incredible to watch, and there’s a good chance he lands much higher next time we do this exercise.