Former Oregon Duck Bol Bol signs with Phoenix Suns

Bol Bol finds his new team, signing with the Phoenix Suns

The Oregon Ducks have quite a few good players who have gone on to the NBA, and more recently have had some solid role-players moving their way around the league.  One player on this list is Bol Bol, who spent nine games with the Ducks in the 2018-2019 season before having an injury that held him out for the year.  Despite this, he had an exceptional statline in those few games and was drafted 44th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Now, Bol Bol has made his way to five different teams, but most recently was waived by the Orlando Magic.  This has allowed him to be signed by the Phoenix Suns, which lines him up with what seems to be a forming superteam in the Western Conference.

What does Bol Bol bring to the Phoenix Suns?

Bol Bol was one of the top prospects entering college at the time, raking 4th in his class for many sources (Rivals, 247Sports, ESPN).  The players he ranked behind were the three Duke recruits at the top of that class, RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish.  He had a great couple of games at Oregon, with per-game averages of 21 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 1.0 assists, and shooting splits of .561/.520/.757.

In terms of his NBA success, he has been a mixed bag of production.  His first three seasons in Denver, he only received 6.2 minutes per game across that time period.  He would average 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.3 blocks, and 0.3 assists per game shooting .478/.378/.667.  However, he received more playing time in Orlando this past season, and made the most of it.  Per game he had 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 assists while shooting splits of .546/.265/.759.

While his three point shooting efficiency went down, he also was only attempting 1.6 per game so it was not a huge detriment to the team.  His defense and interior scoring were both improved with more playing time, and he showed that he has what it takes to be at minimum a good role-player.  With a team like Phoenix having three huge contracts between Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, they need all the quality depth they can get.  Former Oregon center Bol Bol will absolutely bring that, likely getting the backup center spot behind Deandre Ayton.