Bol-Bol-2
In what is only the second trade of the season so far, the Denver Nuggets have finally parted ways with position-altering 7’2” prospect Bol Bol, sending him to Detroit.
The “Bol Bol era” in Denver was shaky to say the least, with many fans citing issues with Denver’s head coach Mike Malone not giving the second-round pick adequate playing time, despite the surplus number of injuries the Nuggets have suffered from this season.
Since being acquired via trade on draft night after being selected with the 44th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Nuggets fans had a lot to be excited about with Bol, considering most draft experts expected him to be picked up somewhere in the middle of the first round. Bol had suffered through some injuries in his time in Oregon, and had red flags littered across his medical, leaving many teams’ front offices with serious hesitation to draft the Sudanese giant.
Since acquiring him back in 2019, Bol has had a hard time seeing the court, making only 60 appearances with the club in three years– which includes playoff games. In those 60 games Bol has only averaged a smidge over 6 minutes per game, tallying just 2.7 points per contest to go along with 1.2 rebounds.
Fans and pundits around the league were shocked to see the price tag for Bol Bol, as the Pistons only traded away a Brooklyn second-round pick, and Rodney McGruder who struggles to find time on the court for one of the worst teams in the league.
With Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone seeming to prioritize other players filling in for the injury-riddled roster spots, Bol Bol can now start a clean slate in Detroit, where the team is in a clear rebuilding stage, and finally see the court for extended minutes. The trade is a no-risk trade for Detroit that won’t be focusing on winning many games any time soon.
The departure of Bol from Denver was anticlimactic and opened up greener pastures for the young prospect in a team that can support his long-availed requests of getting to prove himself on the court more, while Detroit adds another asset in their already wide pool of youthful, growing talent.
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