As he made a return to Denver in a matchup with the Nuggets last weekend, Bol Bol had plenty of realizations in his brief time with the franchise.
Bol openly admitted that his time as Nugget didn’t work out really well, taking full responsibility for his lack of work and dedication that kept him limited within the club.
“Yeah, I can say there was a little bit, I feel I could’ve worked a lot harder,” Bol told Denver Post’s Mike Singer. “That was just me being young. That’s one of the things I learned, you have to work hard or (stuff’s) not gonna work out for you.”
Bol started his professional career in Denver upon being drafted in the second round of the 2019 rookie selection. Amid the hype and that loaded potential as a unique, lanky seven-foot big man, his attitude, work ethic, focus, and effort were sadly questioned by the Nuggets fans in his two-and-a-half seasons of serving them.
The unwanted moments he made and had as a Nugget can’t even be more humbling for Bol, who considers it a huge lesson in his career.
“I think it (was) very good for me,” Bol added. “(My time in Denver) definitely put me through a lot. Even off the court and on the court. But I think everyone goes through their own struggles.”
Now finding himself in the Orlando Magic, Bol brought what he learned in this new chapter of his basketball endeavors.
Sporting a newfound identity with those odd abilities that suit well for a modern big man, Bol has established himself as one of the club’s foundational pieces, evident from his blooming this 2022-23 season as he is currently averaging 11.9 points, 6.9 boards, 1.5 blocks while shooting 58.5 percent from the field.
With fellow young players, Bol is delighted for a new place to grow that can cater to his sky-high ceiling.
“New space, new opportunity for me,” Bol said. “A younger team. It wasn’t like here, where it was kind of hard for me to play because they were already a really good team, an established team, a playoff team. Now, I’m just getting a re-start.”
