Denver Nuggets: The case for starting Bol Bol in 2021

Baby Bol to the rescue

In the blink of an eye, Denver’s depth at power forward could all but vanish with end-of-the-bench pieces like Noah Vonleh also entering free agency as well (fellow power forward Keita Bates-Diop has a non-guaranteed salary for 2020-21).

This begs the question: could we see the Nuggets starting Bol next season?

Albeit a very small sample size, Bol — the son of 7’7″ two-time block champion Manute Bol — was very solid in limited minutes this past season. He’s a special talent who was able to shoot 50.0% from the field and 44.4% from behind the arc thanks to a feathery touch, exceptional length and a big bag of tricks.

However, his ability to turn in 0.9 blocks in just 12.4 minutes per game may have been what was most impressive.

Per 36-minute number aren’t an exact science but it’s hard not to gawk at Bol’s numbers in that department; the 20-year-old averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 0.8 steals per 36 minutes during his rookie season.

The eye test is even more exciting.

In his first scrimmage, Bol scored 16 points and blocked an astounding 6 shots. The most eye-popping moment, of course, was when he blocked a shot in the first quarter and dribbled it up the floor for a Durant-esque shot from deep.

Bol’s most natural position is center but, because of his slight frame, he’s seen plenty of time on the floor as a forward.

In replacing Millsap (and, to a lesser extent, Grant), Bol deserves to be considered because of the numbers he puts up and because he has the physical tools and instincts necessary to be an impact defender.

The Nuggets were ranked just 16th in defense rating (110.4) and 19th in blocked shots (4.6) in the 2019-20 regular season.

If given the chance, Bol can help the Nuggets become a top-10 team in both categories, becoming the defensive anchor and rim-protector that they’ve been sorely missing.