Denver Nuggets: Will Bol Bol change the Western Conference landscape?
Will Bol Bol change the Denver Nuggets’ prospects in the bubble?
Heading into the NBA’s restart Thursday night July 30th, there had been little discussion on who the real contenders for a championship were. The Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers were expected to breeze past fellow Western Conference foes into what would be one of the most highly anticipated playoff series of all time in the battle of L.A., where the victor would then battle the Greek Freak and the Milwaukee Bucks for the championship.
Other than that, nothing was expected besides maybe a Boston or Toronto victory here and there along the way to shake up the Eastern Conference, but the West had been pretty much signed, sealed, and delivered upon Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s offseason arrival in L.A. However, with the return of basketball over the past week in Florida, one player, in particular, caught the eyes of many to the point that I’ll go ahead and say, “Denver Nuggets dark horse championship contender.”
NBA beware, Bol Bol is here.
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Now, don’t get me wrong the Lakers and Clippers are still a very good bet to be representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. I’m just saying don’t be surprised if the Nuggets happen to represent the buzz saw that is the Western Conference. And if they do, it’s not going to be for the reason that you think.
It’s not going to be Nikola Jokic, but his all-around game will be irrefutable from the post. It won’t be Jamaal Murray, but his pure scoring ability will be imperative. And no it also won’t be any other normal rotational piece such as Will Barton, Miles Plumlee, or even Michael Porter Jr., whose all contributions will be indispensable. It will be because of a new face. The first-round pick in last year’s draft, Bol Bol.
After spending most of the regular season rehabbing an injury, most Nuggets fans were expecting Denver to take the Michael Porter Jr. route and have him use a redshirt year. Well, due to the circumstances at hand, three extra months were given to the regular season which allowed Bol Bol to make his return in the Orlando bubble. Let’s just say he didn’t disappoint.
In the first game back and his first game all season due to injury, Bol Bol managed to drop a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards topped with six rejections. From rejecting opposing players’ shots at the rim to rim-running to perfection as he’s fed for a dunk to blocking mid-range shot attempts to running straight to the 3-point line and draining them ease, Bol stood out.
Now, it’s not even the highlighted plays that got me excited. It was the roster behind it. At one point he was playing alongside Nikola Jokic on the perimeter where Jokic fed him for a 3-point shot. Another time, he was anchoring the paint with his 7-foot-2 frame. And that’s what’s going to be interesting to see and the Nuggets wins and losses will reflect it as a result.
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Will Bol Bol be featured in a more prominent role due to the impressive performances he’s put up, or will he be buried behind the likes of Miles Plumlee, Paul Millsap, and Jerami Grant in the rotation. If I’m a Nuggets fan or even a fan of great basketball, I’m rooting for the former. The entire playoff picture could be changed.