Bol Bol ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the NBA Draft on Thursday night, and that was not a good thing for the Oregon big man. Bol was initially expected to go somewhere near the middle or end of the first round, but he slipped all the way No. 44 overall. There are a couple of possible reasons for why that happened.
For starters, Bol is considered an injury risk. The 7-foot-2 big man is working his way back from a foot fracture, and teams are concerned about that despite him recently holding a private workout to showcase his health.
Bol Bol's medicals are not good, I'm told. The feedback on him wasn't great either.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) June 21, 2019
And that’s not all. According to John Canzano of The Oregonian, there are also character concerns with Bol.
NBA executive on Bol Bol: “No smoking gun. Frail. Entitlement. Etc.”
Too many questions and nobody in Bol's background (multiple high schools, nine games in college) to advocate for him.
At the point of the draft where NBA teams take Internationals… Bol may not be picked.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) June 21, 2019
Bol averaged 21 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game and shot 52 percent on three-pointers in nine games with Oregon last season. His physical attributes obviously make him an intriguing prospect, but that was not enough for any team to deem him worthy of a first-round pick — nor was the remarkable suit he was wearing. He should be plenty motivated to prove the naysayers wrong.
