Instantly becoming a fan-favorite in his first season with the Phoenix Suns, forward Bol Bol looks to grow even more now that he is returning for another year.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After bouncing around after a three-year (2019-22) stint with the Denver Nuggets, Bol has inked two one-year contracts in the past two seasons in Phoenix. He was traded from the Nuggets to the Boston Celtics before landing with the Orlando Magic during the 2022-23 campaign.
Knowing where he was going to be playing moving forward, the 7-foot-3 big man believed everything made sense to remain a Sun.
“I just think it was the best option for me coming back with being with the team I was with last year. Everyone has high hopes, they just believe in me and this was the best situation for me. Just a no-brainer to come back here,” Bol said during Suns media day on Monday.
Last season for the Suns, the South Sudan native appeared in 43 games and produced 5.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Surrounded by a forward group consisting of players like Kevin Durant and Royce O’Neale, Bol did not start a game a year ago and is projected to come off the bench this season.
But to work on his game and take advantage of being teammates with one of the better players in the NBA, Bol worked out and learned from the 14-time All-Star Durant in the offseason.
“I spent the beginning of the summer in L.A. with KD and we were working out there a little bit. Pretty much I have just been here [Phoenix] the whole summer just being in the gym,” Bol said when talking about this past offseason.”It’s pretty fun, it’s pretty competitive because we even play 1-on-1s sometimes. Just go in there, lift, shoot and just have fun. Just good vibes honestly.
“He’s always like, ‘Do this better.’ He just tries to critique everything I do. Even in the workouts, he’ll be like, ‘You should do this.’ He’ll explain why you should be able to do this. I just see him do it in the games and it works out.”
While the Suns will look to improve upon a 49-33 season where they were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bol wants to contribute by any means possible and do what is best for the team.
With new head coach Mike Budenholzer, it will be interesting to see how he utilizes Bol who is a tall, lengthy forward who can also play center and is capable of shooting threes.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Mercury, Suns and ASU Athletics for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
