University of Oregon center Bol Bol celebrates a three-point basket against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018. (Photo: Elsa/Getty Images)
It was a predictably quiet draft night for the Denver Nuggets until late in the second round.
The Nuggets acquired center Bol Bol from the Miami Heat, who had taken the University of Oregon center with the 44th overall selection. Denver will reportedly send a future second round draft pick to Miami.
Bol is the son of the late Manute Bol, who played with four NBA teams from 1985-95. The elder Bol, who stood 7' 7", died in 2010.
Bol Bol elected to turn pro after only one season at Oregon. A foot injury cut his freshman year was cut short after only nine games, in which he averaged 21 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 56.1% from the floor and 52.0% from three-point range. Bol is seven feet, two inches tall and had been projected as the top center in this year's draft.
The Nuggets entered the draft without a pick, primarily due to the salary-saving trade that sent forwards Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur to the Brooklyn Nets in July of 2018.
The Nuggets, however, are in a great position. They have a talented core of young players. That young core that carried them to the Westsern Conference semifinals this past season and was the eighth-youngest playoff team in NBA history.
Forward Michael Porter Jr., a top three talent that fell to the Nuggets at 14th in last year's draft, missed the entire season while recovering from a back injury and is on course to be a big part of things in 2019-2020.
Bol Bol spoke with reporters on a conference call after the trade to the Nuggets.
Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly spoke with reporters at Pepsi Center after the draft concluded.