It wasn't quite the night the Phoenix Suns had in mind in their Wednesday evening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, though a fan-favorite may now be too hard to ignore.
Bol Bol has captured the Valley by storm since arriving in the offseason. The 7-foot-3 big man has upside few who play basketball can offer.
Fans who flock the Footprint Center on a nightly basis have chanted for Frank Vogel to insert Bol in the lineup on more than one occasion - especially if the Suns are up big - but often times Vogel wouldn't oblige.
Bol's 3.1 minutes played per night is the lowest on the team. He's appeared in just ten games and is one of five players on the entire roster to not start for Phoenix thus far.
Bol (who just turned 24) is still raw as a prospect in all aspects, though Vogel has been adamant all players in the rotation will get their opportunity.
After playing no higher than five minutes in any game before January, the Suns have now called upon Bol to play 20 and 19 minutes (respectively) in back to back outings.
So many have talked about Bol flashing potential and making good on his talent. While he hasn't quite transformed into an All-Star player, he has impressed in his recent two-game uptick in action:
“Really happy for him and proud of him. He’s doing the things we’ve been coaching him on in practice: to play more discipline brand of basketball with shots selection and turnovers and just playing with himself, like working on the angles that we’re trying to work with him on defensively and he’s contributed big time in the last two games," said Vogel after playing the Clippers.
Bol begun the second quarter on the floor in both of Phoenix's recent games and played well enough for Vogel to keep him in the rotation down the stretch.
Monday's win vs Portland saw him score 11 points with nine rebounds in 20 minutes of action while last night's loss against the Clippers featured 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 19 minutes.
“I mean I am geeked for him. Obviously, the fans have their thing going with him. Outside of that, just knowing him as a person and getting to know him. I talked yesterday about how he is willing to learn. He wants to learn, and he wants to be out on the court," Devin Booker said Wednesday.
"You would be surprised that everybody does not have that type of mentality. He will come to you and ask you questions. He wants to learn and wants an opportunity ,and he is taking advantage of that right now.”
Time will tell when Kevin Durant ultimately comes back healthy and the Suns can truly figure out what rotations will be used down the road.
There's a handful of guys in Phoenix who believe they're good enough to become a staple for Vogel and his staff. It's unknown if Bol fits that mold, though the Suns say he's earned more opportunities.
"He's done enough to earn more looks and more opportunity. As KD [Kevin Durant] comes back, we'll look at all the other guys, there will be a lot of guys that have shown what they can contribute to us. Part of this early part of the season is seeing how everybody fits with this team, with this roster, your teammates, as well as in our system," Vogel said.
"Seeing what Bol did was very impressive. So like I said, he's been working on the things we've been coaching him in practice and had two really solid performances."
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