The Denver Nuggets losing to the Miami Heat and looking really bad in the second half will be the headline for the next day or so, but one of the lone bright spots for the Denver Nuggets was the official NBA debut of rookie Bol Bol.
Drafted in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, Bol’s path to his first NBA minutes has been almost as tall and long as he is. After recovering from foot surgery, spending sporadic time in the G League, and waiting out a pandemic, Bol made his official Nuggets debut in Denver’s first game in the bubble, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds while logging 12 minutes off the bench.
His first points came off a quick little flip shot after a nice drop-off pass by Michael Porter Jr., and the newest Nugget to the 2019-20 season etched his name into the record books for the first time:
The biggest highlight of the day for the entire Nuggets team came from Bol as well, but not in the way many expected. After collecting a loose ball, Bol initiated a quick fast break and threaded the needle to Mason Plumlee with an incredible one-handed bounce pass in transition.
Very few bigs in the NBA can make the pass Bol makes above, and on top of the shooting touch, rim protection, and ball handling ability, the 20-year-old rookie appears to have some flare for passing.
Bol’s debut was overshadowed by larger struggles for the entire Nuggets roster exacerbated by injuries to the entire starting guard/wing trio of Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Will Barton, but it was nice to see the 7’2 rookie get some run. He’s clearly very talented, moves well for his size, and could be an impactful player for the Nuggets, either this season or going forward.
Incredibol.
