Denver Nuggets
Bol Bol
The obvious choice for the Nuggets should be Michael Porter Jr., but I’m really fascinated with the potential of Bol Bol. The 7-foot 2 forward/center has incredible measurements and undeniable first-round talent but was drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft due to his injury history and league-wide skepticism on body type. Those knocks on him might very well be true, but it’s hard to watch the guy and not get excited – I mean, he is as tall as Rudy Gobert with a decent handle and a 3-point stroke!
Bol only averaged 5.7 points a game in seven appearances last season, all of which were in garbage time support. He may have not impressed enough to merit quality rotation minutes, but Bol Bol was certainly catching excitement from the Nuggets front office. Rumors would leak out about how dominant he was in the Orlando training camp and the bubble warm-up games. Heck, even my Denver Nugget friends were predicting his 2023 MVP speech. The underground summer Bol Bol hype was real.
With the Nuggets moving on from Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee, there appears to be a clearer path for Bol Bol to get on the floor and contribute this season. If Bol can get a little stronger and improve on his defensive rotations from year one to year two, he could easily earn significant backup center or power forward minutes. The ceiling for Bol is incredibly high – what should excite Nuggets fans and frighten the other Western Conference teams.