Manute Bol was one of the most unique players the NBA has ever seen.
There's his height, obviously. There haven't been a whole lot of 7-foot-7-inch players in the league's long history, let alone in the world as a whole. In fact, the only other big man of that height to log minutes in an NBA game was Gheorghe Muresan, the gigantic Bullets and Nets center throughout the 90s.
But while Muresan was more of a typical center, with much of his offensive work occurring in the paint, Bol was a tad more versatile. Take, for instance, his first half performance while he was on the Sixers in the 1992-1993 season. The poor Suns didn't know what was about to hit them.
And how could they have known? He had made a single three-pointer in the 36 regular season games leading up to that one.
This performance also acted as a little bit of foreshadowing when it comes to his son, Bol Bol, and his skill set. The younger Bol, selected by the Heat in the 2019 draft and then traded to the Nuggets, stands at 7 feet 2 inches and is listed as a center. But his skill set transcends his position and this, combined with the team's shortage of available players at this point in the bubble season, have led the Nuggets to consider all the fun ways with which they can deploy him.
"It's been kind of crazy," Bol said (visit the 3:02 mark). "With not so many people I could get placed anywhere, so there are some times, like today, I was playing at the three."
We've seen Giannis Antetokounmpo defy the meanings of a "position" in the NBA, as he's spent time at all five over the course of his career. Draymond Green, Ben Simmons and LeBron James are other guys who have helped the league to become increasingly position-less.
But a 7-2 small forward? That's something we've never seen. But can you blame the Nuggets for wanting to put their three-point shooting, floor-running rookie on the court in some creative ways?
Bol also said in the media appearance that he's been working on getting stronger over the summer and using his length on the defensive side of the ball.
"I know I'm tall," Bol said. "But I haven't realized when I put my hands out... how much ground I can cover."
That makes sense, considering his father's 8-foot-6-inch wingspan is literally the longest in NBA history. Bol Bol's wingspan is "only" 7-8.
With another extremely versatile and talented big man leading the team in Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets lineup is one that could experiment with a lot of different combinations and, more importantly, dominate no matter the opposition.
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