Victor Wembanyama is projected to be the NBA’s next big thing. Tim Hardaway Sr., however, isn’t convinced.
The Hall of Fame point guard made an appearance on “The Carton Show” on Thursday. During a discussion about Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, Hardaway segued to the Suns’ recent signing of Bol Bol. Hardaway started off with a modest take, stating that he felt the move is being underrated.
“A lot of people don’t understand about this signing of Bol Bol,” said Hardaway Sr. “To me, Bol Bol, a lot of people don’t know about him. I think he’s going to have a great chance out there to show what he can do.
Then Hardaway took it to another level by claiming that the fourth-year big man is even better than Wemby.
“I think he’s better than Victor Wembanyama. Bol Bol has better physical talent and ready to play in the NBA right now than Victor is,” he continued.
Bol had the best season of his brief career last year, averaging career-highs across the board with 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 21.5 minutes for the Orlando Magic. Despite the improvement, the Magic waived Bol a few weeks into the offseason.
There’s no disputing Bol has talent. But Orlando’s decision to cut ties with him after a career campaign is indicative that NBA teams don’t view him as anywhere close to Wembanyama. The Denver Nuggets — the team that drafted Bol — had three seasons to evaluate him and also let him go. They’re probably not regretting that decision too much after winning the championship in June.
Wemby comparisons aside, Bol has a golden opportunity to find playing time on a Suns team that many peg to be a serious contender in the West. He already has at least one fervent believer in Hardaway Sr.
More must-reads: