The Orlando Magic are one of the youngest teams in the NBA and with an exciting core, the future is bright in Orlando. Unfortunately, it might be quite some time before the Magic are truly able to compete with the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Magic's current status likely gives head coach Jamahl Mosley plenty of time to experiment with different on-court lineups but his Wendell Carter-Paolo Banchero-Bol Bol frontcourt might be the strangest one yet.
Wendell Carter says they tried out a frontline of Paolo Banchero, Bol Bol and Carter in today's practice.
Added that coach Mosley has emphasized they can all be positionless and that Bol's the best shooter among the bigs. pic.twitter.com/cCFdvkqzbR
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) September 30, 2022
The NBA is shifting toward positionless basketball with many smaller players able to play bigger than their size indicates and many larger players adopting guard-like skillsets.
With small-ball dominating the NBA in recent years, teams playing two seven-footers at the same time are rare, but the Magic are clearly going in the opposite direction by experimenting with a frontcourt consisting of players six-foot-ten inches and above.
Most likely, the Banchero-Carter-Bol frontcourt will not ever see the light of day during an actual NBA regular season game but it is interesting to see that Bol is getting big-time reps, especially with 2021 NBA All-Rookie selection, Franz Wagner, on the roster.
Last season, Bol played 14 games with the Denver Nuggets before being traded to Detroit Pistons. The trade was voided after Bol failed his physical and had to undergo season-ending surgery on his right foot. Bol was then traded to the Boston Celtics who then traded him to the Magic.
In 5.8 minutes, Bol averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.
Bol was the 44th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft but had high expectations despite his draft slot. When Bol was at Oregon, he was a projected lottery player before injuring his foot. He averaged 21 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. He also shot 52% from three despite standing at seven-feet-two inches.
The hope for Magic fans is that Bol is able to live up to his potential and fast-track the rebuild.
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