New York Knicks Scott Perry, Steve Mills (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
As college basketball season provides New York Knicks fans with more and more opportunities to watch next year’s crop of prospects, the tour of the players-to-watch by conference continues with the Pac-12.
Early season tournaments are now underway in the college basketball schedule, and the top talent of next years draft class is beginning to become more and more apparent. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks have lost five straight and eight of their last ten games following their loss on Sunday afternoon to the Orlando Magic.
As expected, the Knicks seem to be firmly establishing position for a high-lottery pick in the coming draft.
With that being said, here are three prospects that, based on the Knicks’ expected draft position, New York fans should keep an eye on from the Pac-12 this college basketball season.
3. Bol Bol: Center, Oregon
At 7’2″ and 235 pounds, there are obvious similarities of Bol Bol and his father, former NBA-player Manute Bol.
Bol Bol by all accounts has a much more multi-faceted game than his father ever had.
He has proven to be one of the most impactful two-way players at the college level thus far this season, averaging 18.8 points and 9.5 rebounds along with 3.8 blocks and 1.8 steals.
As expected, his length might be his greatest asset. Bol’s wingspan makes him tremendously disruptive on the defensive end and very tough to guard on the offensive end, something that would be very appealing to a defensive-minded coach like David Fizdale.
It would be far from true to claim that Bol solely relies on his physical tools to make an impact on the game. His ability to move and his skillset when it comes to shooting and handling the ball is what makes Bol Bol such an intriguing prospect.
Watching an Oregon game this year will consist of watching a 7’2″ Bol Bol have the ability to outrebound nearly anybody, then possess the ball-handling skills to take it down the court and utilize his solid mid-range game to score from nearly anywhere.
The looming question about Bol’s game might not be anything that he can answer in what will likely be his only year at the collegiate level. With a frame that is similar to that of a 19-year-old Kristaps Porzingis, front office executives surely will worry about how Bol’s body will hold up to an 82 game season.
If the Knicks were to find themselves in a late-lottery position that they would likely have to be in to select Bol Bol, they would have the potential to create perhaps the most intriguing frontcourt duos in the modern NBA if they were to pair the long and skilled big men of Bol Bol and Kristaps Porzingis together. It would seem fairly repetitive to bring Bol Bol onto the Knicks roster, but there is no doubt that he is an extremely talented player that will certainly make an impact at both ends if he is able to stay healthy.