After seeing a bump in his playing time while Jusuf Nurkić is battling an injury, Suns forward Bol Bol took every opportunity last night against the Houston Rockets and ran away with it.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Despite losing 114-110, Bol played 27 minutes, scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, all season-highs. In the fourth quarter alone, he collected 15 points.
While sitting on the bench for the majority of the time in which he has spent in Phoenix, Bol showed once again that whenever he plays, he can help a team in any which way he can.
Overcoming Adversity
Since being the 44th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, Bol hasn’t been a guaranteed starter since.
Spending three seasons in Colorado, he was unable to become a main figure in the Nuggets’ lineup as Bol appeared in 53 games, with 2.7 points, 0.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game.
He was then dealt to the Boston Celtics on Jan. 19, 2022 before he was flipped once again to the Orlando Magic on Feb. 10 that same year.
On the Magic, he showed glimpses of potential as he started 33 out of the Magic’s 70 games, seeing his numbers jump to 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1 assist per-game.
After the conclusion of last season, Bol opted to sign a one-year deal with the Suns in the summer.
This year, the 7’3″ big man has yet to start for Phoenix as he is averaging 5.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game as a sub.
Speaking on Bol and his potential in the NBA on Feb. 6, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers was adamant he wants what is best for him.
“He’s a talented kid,” Rivers said. “Struggles a bit to move his feet, but he is still long. He can make up for a lot of stuff. He has been three or four places now and hopefully, because he is a kid, you want all these kids to do well. I wouldn’t cheer for him tonight [against Milwaukee] , but I do want him to have a great career.”
When he checks into a game, the crowd erupts no matter if the Suns are the away or home team.
“I just love everything about Bol,” Kevin Durant said. “You can tell that everybody loves Bol, we’re rooting for him. Even the crowd in every arena we go to, they are rooting for Bol. He’s just a great sole, I love being around him.”
With his recent breakout demonstrating what he is capable of, Suns head coach Frank Vogel will have to make some serious lineup alterations if Bol’s role needs elevation.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
