Getty Oregon Ducks center Bol Bol
For Oregon Ducks center Bol Bol, the past few months had to be brutally tough. The 7-foot-2 big man played in nine games with Oregon before suffering a foot injury which sidelined him for the remainder of the year. But it didn’t take long for his 2019 NBA Draft stock to climb, although it’s taken a slight hit due to Bol being unable to suit up with his teammates currently.
In the nine games Bol played this season, he averaged 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks over 29.8 minutes per game. He also shot 56.1 percent from the field and showed off his range by knocking down 52.0 percent of his 3-point attempts. There’s a lot to love about the 19-year-old’s game, and NBA draft analysts are seemingly still on board with him as a first-round selection.
We’re going to take a look at the latest on Bol’s draft projections and where the latest mock drafts currently have him landing.
Bol Bol NBA Draft Projections & Mocks
It’s interesting to see where draft experts project the center, as he’s as high as a late-lottery selection for some, but just on the edge of the first round in the eyes of others. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz are among those who believe the Oregon freshman is still a lottery selection.
In their pre-NCAA tournament mock draft, they have Bol coming off the board at No. 14 overall and heading to the Boston Celtics. It’s hard to argue that Boston wouldn’t be a great landing spot for the young center, and a few others project him to wind up in the mid-to-late 20s.
Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo pointed to the potential risk with Bol, but he doesn’t believe it will result in a slide out of the first round. In his most recent mock draft, the Oregon big man is selected at No. 27 by the Brooklyn Nets.
While Bol’s draft stock is down from what it was believed to be early in the season, his outlook is still solid. Beyond that, James Crepea of The Oregonian revealed the center said he has a loss-of-value insurance policy but is unsure as to how much it’s for.
This is great news because if he does wind up falling in the draft due to the fractured foot which required surgery, he should be able to make up some of the lost money.
Bol Bol NBA Draft Stock & Big Board Rankings
Although he’s only played nine collegiate games, it’s hard to push the Oregon big man too far down NBA draft big boards. The latest from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Bol listed as the No. 25 overall prospect, just behind a trio of centers in Daniel Gafford (No. 24), Bruno Fernando (22) and Jontay Porter (21).
Woo and Sports Illustrated offered a similar outlook on their most recent big board, pegging Bol as the No. 24 prospect. They have him down seven spots from his previous ranking (17), and behind each of the aforementioned centers except Gafford. Although Bol is down from the likely top-10 pick he would have been early in the season, there’s a strong likelihood that it could result in him landing in an ideal spot during the draft.
READ NEXT: Tacko Fall NBA Draft: Latest Mocks & Projections for UCF Center