The Phoenix Suns have gone through a massive revamp over the last eight months in the hopes of bringing the first-ever championship to The Valley. Starting with the deal that landed them Kevin Durant last February, plenty of changes have swept through the Suns roster. Phoenix traded Chris Paul during the offseason and acquired Bradley Beal to form a Big Three with Durant and Devin Booker. In their most recent transaction, they moved on from Deandre Ayton and acquired a bunch of depth to complement their new star trio. They also signed a bunch of veteran minimum players to round out the roster.
Phoenix arguably has the best Big Three in the NBA right now with KD, Book, and Beal. But for the most part, the Suns are a top-heavy team with a roster full of minimum players — and these even include some young guys, who are just looking to breakthrough in the NBA. Thus, minutes are wide open for the entire roster as new head coach Frank Vogel looks to use the regular season to manage his rotations.
With that said, the field is open for a young Suns player to have a breakout season. For Phoenix, a potential breakout candidate this upcoming season is Bol Bol.
Suns breakout star for 2023-24 season: Bol Bol
Bol Bol has always been an intriguing prospect ever since he came into the NBA. At 7-foot-2, Bol possesses guard-like skills with his ability to create off the dribble and shoot from the outside. But for the most part, the Sudanese-American has always been viewed as a raw prospect and he still is.
Bol spent the first three years of his career with the Denver Nuggets, where he barely received any chances to play. In three seasons, he appeared in just 53 games overall.
Nonetheless, Bol did have a bit of a mini-breakout last season for the Orlando Magic, who acquired him midway through the 2021-22 campaign. Orlando's center Wendell Carter Jr. was injured to start the year, so Bol got a massive break from coach Jamahl Mosley and earned a spot in the first unit for 32 straight games. Basketball fans finally got a taste of the Bol Bol experience and he did not disappoint.
In 37 appearances with Carter out of the lineup, Bol averaged 12.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks while shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from beyond the arc.
His role, playing time, and subsequently, his production decreased through his final 33 appearances of the season with Carter back and healthy. But with a pretty solid sample size, Bol still showcased just what he is capable of doing when given the opportunity to play.
How Bol Bol can breakout this season with the Suns
We're not even entirely sure if Bol Bol even cracks the rotation in Phoenix. The Suns have more seasoned veterans like Drew Eubanks, Keita Bates-Diop, Ish Wainwright, and Chimezie Metu whom he would compete with for rotation minutes.
But Bol's advantage over the other Suns' rotation players is his tantalizing upside. As a basketball fan, it's hard to look at Bol and not to be intrigued by what you see. He is a long 7-foot-2 freak athlete with guard-like skills. Despite his size, he is capable of handling the ball and creating his own shot off the dribble. His ability to handle the rock allows him to run with the ball in transition off the defensive rebound and create transition opportunities for himself — which translates to easy points on the board.
Bol is also capable of knocking down the long ball, though he is far from being an elite sniper. He did shoot nearly 39 percent from three in a pretty significant 37-game stretch, though at a low volume (1.8 attempts per game).
Defensively, Bol also carries a ton of upside on the end of the floor. His defense is still a work in progress and his lanky frame makes him vulnerable against some of the stronger guys in the NBA. Nonetheless, his length makes him an intriguing shot blocker and rim protector and he could definitely use those long limbs to at least alter shots in the paint.
In a lot of ways, Bol shares a rather similar build and skill set with Kevin Durant. No, he isn't going to be KD. There won't ever be another Kevin Durant. But nonetheless, just think about how much Bol will benefit from sharing the same locker room and soaking the experience of being with the future Hall of Famer on a daily basis. Playing alongside and spending time with the guy he should model his game after is going to be very valuable for his growth and development as a player.
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