Nuggets Steal Bol Bol With 44th Pick Amid Rumors of His Alarming Medical Report
By Sam Dunn
This was quite a problematic slide for a big, big kid. Oregon Ducks center Bol Bol, son of former NBA giant Manute Bol, was anticipated as a possible lottery pick months ago, but after succumbing to a season-ending foot injury in December, everything was thrown up in the air.
But nothing could have prepared us for just how far he fell on NBA Draft night in Brooklyn. It took until Miami's No. 44 overall pick for the big man to come off the board, one that was subsquently traded to Denver.
Denver is drafting a second straight rehab project --- Michael Porter Jr., and now Bol Bol. Porter Jr., was a redshirt with the Nuggets and has showed the tremendous promise of his high school career in recent months. Now, Denver turns its attention to Bol.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 21, 2019
As he kept sliding and sliding, there was mass speculation about just what was causing such a thing to happen. Before long, buzz began to emerge about some troubling details in his pre-draft medical report.
That's... not good.
Bol Bol's medicals are not good, I'm told. The feedback on him wasn't great either.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) June 21, 2019
While we don't yet know what damning information may (or may not) be included in Bol's medicals, none of this sounds good. He's absolutely huge, and there's a long and sordid history of NBA centers having their careers compromised by foot injuries-- and since he was drafted so late, he might not actually get a single red cent of guaranteed money.
All told, it's a dramatic tumble for the most utterly distinctive player in this draft pool.