Weber State big man Joel Bolomboy topped the NBA Draft Combine agility test among power forwards and centers. He had two games this past season with 15+ points and 20 rebounds. In terms of his activity, think of him as another Cristiano Felicio.
Standing at 6’9″ and 235 pounds, Big Sky Conference Player of the Year Joel Bolomboy is a second-round prospect who may fit as a role player that can blossom into something special in the future. Bolomboy has a wingspan of 7’1.75″ and a standing reach of 8’7.5″.
According to DraftExpress, Bolomboy was a “mixed bag” offensively.
“While he knocked down a trail jumper (foot on the 3-point line) with solid elevation and can make occasional shots from the perimeter, he’s by no means a ‘shooter’. That aspect of his game is a bit underrated and has potential to grow, but he has somewhat of a hitch and shoots on the way down at times.”
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Bolomboy plays real well off the ball as a weakside cutter or attacker off movement traps; a Hoiball piece if the Bulls chose to draft him for a similar role as a roaming power forward. Bolomboy scored 17.1 points (while shooting a decent 34 percent from long range), grabbed 12.6 rebounds and blocked 1.1 shots per game in his senior season.
He is only 22 years old and will still grow into his role as a defensive power forward, while needing some polish on offense once he gets more minutes learning the NBA game.
The Bulls lost plenty of games during the season for not being able to protect the lane from lay-ups. The Bulls were not rebounding better defensively with Pau Gasol preferring to pad his offensive stats over making plays that an NBA center is supposed to make in the paint on defense.
If the Bulls get smart and ship out Taj Gibson for a future asset, they free up cap space from Gibson’s deal (that ends after next season) for additional recruits in free agency. They can make up for losing Gibson by getting a high-energy power forward like Joel Bolomboy.
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Whether the Bulls play small ball or stay big, Bolomboy fits a team need in a younger, athletic big. His only downside is being a little mechanical with his offense and not having a high amount of skill on that end of the floor.
If the Bulls grab Joel Bolomboy with a second-round flyer, their bench would be rounded out by two younger, physical defensive role players that can grow together in Bolomboy and Cristiano Felicio. Both are way better than former Bull Omer Asik and current Bull Cameron Bairstow.
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The Bulls are going to need some assistance up front heading into next season and even if someone like Joel Bolomboy isn’t ready for the NBA game, the Bulls will have a roster spot on the Windy City Bulls waiting for a project like him.