Utah Jazz power forward Joel Bolomboy is a mystery man to many casual fans, but when you dig deeper you will realize just how high this Ukrainian’s potential is.
When the Utah Jazz selected Joel Bolomboy with the 52nd pick in the 2016 NBA draft, he flew under the radar of a lot of fans, partially due to the trade that netted George Hill the day before the draft. Casual fans in Utah that did notice may have only done so due to the fact that he was a Weber State alumnus.
However, when you dig deeper, you will find there is a lot more to this rookie than just being an alumnus from a local college.
In Utah, the “Big 3” schools (BYU, University of Utah, Utah State) dominate most of the college sports attention, leaving a perfect situation for a guy like Bolomboy to fly under the radar. As a Junior at Weber State, Bolomboy averaged 13.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. A solid line, but an unspectacular season as his team finished with a 13-17 record.
As a Senior, though, Bolomboy averaged 17.1 points, 12.6 rebounds and increased his field goal percentage from 47 to 57 percent, while leading his Wildcats to just their third NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years.
Bolomboy stands as the all-time leading rebounder in Big-Sky Conference history, and was named the league’s 2015-16 Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year. All of these achievements can be quickly written off by NBA fans with a simple “Oh, he played at a small school in a less competitive conference.” And his future prospects may be met with a “He’s only 235 pounds; it won’t translate to the pros.”
To an extent, those statements are true. There are definitely reasons for Bolomboy nearly going undrafted, and now finding himself fighting for a rotation spot in the NBA.
Back in March of 2016, Josh Riddell of DraftExpress had this to say of Bolomboy —
"“Offensively, Bolomboy was mainly a back to the basket threat for Weber State, with post-ups accounting for 34.5% of his possessions logged by Synergy Sports Technology. He found a good amount of success with this part of his game this season, scoring well over a point per possession in these situations. While able to assert his will regularly on low-major competition with his terrific frame, it is difficult to see a NBA team dumping the ball into the post and asking him to play one on one. He’ll need to continue to work on his skill-level, as his footwork and countermoves are fairly rudimentary, and he struggles when he can’t simply overpower opponents.Defensively, Bolomboy has significant potential, but is still somewhat of a work in progress. He doesn’t always make the impact you would like him to considering his tremendous physical tools, as his defensive awareness is below average, especially for a senior. He can be a step slow to rotate over to help his teammates or will get screened too easily. Despite his quickness, explosiveness and length, he blocked only 1.4 shots per 40 minutes pace adjusted, which is concerning at the level of competition he played at.”"
While picking apart his flaws, Riddell ironically mentioned two of Bolomboy’s traits that make him so exciting: his physical tools and his experience.
Not very many people know that Bolomboy didn’t pick up the game of basketball until he was in seventh grade. That’s a pretty late start considering how many NBA players grew up playing basketball as early as toddlers. Despite his late start, Bolomboy was able to quickly latch onto the sport, and went on to draw scholarship offers from Clemson, New Mexico, Auburn and Florida State.
Bolomboy may be a step behind his peers right now, but as soon as his timing, awareness and feel for the game catch up to his physical tools, we will be in for a real treat.
Speaking of physical tools, Bolomboy has a lot to offer there. He was able to showcase his elite athleticism at the NBA Draft Combine, such as a 40.5-inch vertical (fifth best at the combine), and a 10.26 lane agility time (fastest at the combine). His explosiveness and agility are on par with some of the faster guards, and when you pair that with his 6-foot-9 frame and 7-foot-1 wingspan, you get what Joel does best: rebound.
Rebounding is undoubtedly the bread and butter to his NBA game, and as scouts often say, rebounding is the one skill that translates best from college to the pros.
Weber State assistant coach Eric Duft told The Salt Lake Tribune’s Kurt Kragthrope this one year ago —
"“First of all, he gets great position,” said Duft, showing one of Bolomboy’s offensive rebounds last weekend at Sacramento State. “From the waist down, he’s extremely strong. … He does some stuff that you can’t teach. He just has great reaction. We knew when we recruited him that he had great instincts for the ball.”"
That said, it’s no wonder that he set rebounding records in college and currently leads the D-League in rebounds per game. Bolomboy has drawn comparisons to Kenneth Faried and Trevor Booker for the ability to run the floor, grab rebounds and juice their team full of energy, but the comparison that I like the most is Paul Millsap.
No, I’m not saying that Joel will one day be an All-Star, but the similarities are too strong to ignore. Both players are undersized power forwards who set records in college for their rebounding, got drafted in the late second round by the Jazz, and come with an incredible work ethic. One advantage Bolomboy has that Millsap didn’t is a three-point jumpshot.
Bolomboy made three-pointers at a 36 percent clip in college, and even though he didn’t take them in great volume, it is still something that adds to his already high potential. Millsap didn’t add the three-pointer to his arsenal until his fifth year in the league, and part of that was because NBA offenses were less reliant on the triple back then.
Now that he is a three-point threat, it spaces the floor so Dwight Howard can operate inside, giving the Hawks a balanced inside-out offensive attack. If Bolomboy is able to knock down NBA threes by the end of his second year, his claim for playing time will only grow stronger and eventually force Quin Snyder’s hand.
Put together the physical tools, rebounding presence underrated jumpshot and an incredible work ethic, and you will find that Bolomboy’s ceiling is higher than you may have originally thought. Time will tell, but Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey may have found another gem with that No. 52 pick.
He was sure quick to guarantee $1 million; pretty rare for a late second-round pick. With that hefty contract and a D-League team just nine miles south of Vivint Smart Home Arena, it’s clear that the Jazz are invested in developing Bolomboy and believe in his long-term potential.