Is Bol Bol going to steal Michael Porter Jr.’s minutes?
Kiz: Nuggets rookie Bol Bol is the big new sensation in the NBA bubble, which if the league had any sense of humor, would be renamed Magic City. He can shoot the 3 and play some D. With every blocked shot, Bol reminds coach Michael Malone why he’s so reluctant to forgive the defensive shortcomings of Michael Porter Jr. But c’mon now. Would Malone really take minutes away from MPJ and trust a raw rookie to play for a team that insists it’s ready to win a championship now?
Singer: Listen, I’m skeptical that Malone would trust an unproven rookie in the postseason as well, but I’ve seen his affinity for elite defenders. Torrey Craig, anyone? The Nuggets have no other choice but to make some serious decisions based off the upcoming eight seeding games. After Bol Bol’s pinch-me debut last Wednesday, he did nothing in my estimation during the second scrimmage to hurt his argument for more playing time. He’s also the type of player who could play situational minutes instead of regular rotation minutes and have an impact. The sad part of this equation is that Bol has been in Orlando since the team arrived three weeks ago, while Porter only recently cleared quarantine. His delayed arrival was a gut-punch to those begging (or column-izing) for more Porter minutes.
Kiz: Bol is a legitimately delightful story. He is can’t-miss video, as intriguing as a unicorn. Bol, however, can’t hide the fact these Nuggets are a big mess. I’m confused (per usual). So help me out here. How can a player being paid a $30 million salary by the Nuggets miss a mandatory COVID test while being confined to the bubble? Was forward Paul Millsap too busy playing ping pong? You want to give Bol minutes. That’s cool. Make MPJ a starter, let Bol be his primary backup and send Millsap packing.
Singer: There is no good defense for Millsap missing his mandatory daily COVID test, especially when the team is so badly hurting for bodies. They should be happy that this pretty significant oversight happened during an exhibition and not when it matters. (Although the skeptic in me thinks if LeBron missed his daily test, the NBA would magically find it tucked in a crevice on Splash Mountain). I think if Bol plays, he’s going to scrape minutes from Porter and Mason Plumlee, primarily. Not that you need any reminder, but Millsap was already playing 24 minutes per game … or less than his backup Jerami Grant (26). There was only one month (January) where MPJ played more than 13 minutes per game, and it was because injuries wrecked Denver’s depth. The hard truth is that there won’t be enough minutes to go around.
Kiz: The Nuggets need to find out if Porter can be a meaningful part of the rotation going forward, after management finally parts ways with Millsap at the end of three seasons. And should Bol get meaningful playing time when the games count, it’s a big warning sign the Nuggets don’t have their act together. Whether the blame falls with bad virus luck, unreliable testing or poor personal choices by players, Bol’s presence in the lineup suggests Denver arrived in Florida unprepared to make a serious championship run.
Singer: Malone’s frustration was palpable after their second scrimmage, a loss to the Pelicans. He knows they’re behind schedule right now. After two games, Troy Daniels is the only Nuggets guard to see action, and others like Jamal Murray (hamstring), Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee) are all battling some kind of ailment. Hardly anything has gone right for them since the NBA announced their re-start. The only thing I’d note is that had the team arrived fully healthy in Orlando, with 17 guys in all, we’re not having this debate right now. Bol is still an intriguing yet mostly unknown prospect who has little reason to believe his 7-foot-2 frame would ever get off the bench. All it took was two scrimmages for his undeniable talents to be revealed. And my guess is there’s no putting them back in the box.