Ime Udoka’s Oregon ties continue to find ways to be useful. The first-year Celtics coach knew plenty about Payton Pritchard, the local star who shined for the Ducks. That same principle applies to the newly-acquired Celtic in Bol Bol, who played for Oregon during the 2018-19 season. Boston acquired Bol in a three-team trade that sent Juancho Hernangomez to the Spurs.
Of course, Bol won’t be suiting up for the Celtics anytime soon. Neither will the other trade piece, PJ Dozier, who tore his ACL in November and is out for the season. Bol still has a chance to return this season after getting right foot surgery, but it won’t be until nearly the end of the 2021-22 campaign. That’ll be a tough time for Bol, who will look to prove his value for the Celtics ahead of restricted free agency this summer.
But Udoka said they’re looking forward to seeing what the once-top prospect can do once he’s healthy. The Celtics moved relatively quick ahead of the Feb. 10 trade deadline, but it marked the first in-season trade Boston president Brad Stevens has made since his promotion.
“He’s an intriguing young player,” Udoka said of Bol pregame Wednesday. “I’ve seen him quite a bit at Oregon before he got hurt there playing with Payton. Know about him, intriguing guy who can do a lot of things obviously and he’s a guy that’s a restricted free agent, so we can retain his rights and get a good look at him over the next few months.”
Bol holds career averages of 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 6.2 minutes per game. He was once considered one of the top young prospects before heading to Oregon, but a season-ending injury prematurely ended his college career.
After being a one-and-done, the 7-foot-2 big man went No. 44 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He’s been a polarizing player in the pros, where he’s shown flashes of talent but the motor hasn’t been there consistently. But at just 22 years old, he still holds some intrigue as a developmental piece.
Bol ended his time in Denver on rocky terms. He was originally supposed to be traded to the Pistons a few weeks ago, but Detroit voided the deal after looking at Bol’s medical history. He then elected to undergo foot surgery, which is why he’s out for the foreseeable future.
The Celtics offloaded Hernangomez, who hasn’t been a rotation player this season, in the three-team deal. The main motivation behind the trade was financial as Boston looks to duck under the luxury tax line to keep its future salary cap situation clean.
Hernangomez has been a solid rotation player in his past stops in Minnesota and Denver. However, he was unable to get off the bench in Boston and was only played sparingly. When he was on the court, Hernangomez struggled in those limited minutes.
But Udoka said he appreciated Hernangomez’s professionalism despite failing to crack the rotation. The 26-year-old forward was often seen cheering on the team from the bench and looked engaged throughout many contests.
“I love his approach, the work he continued to put in and him being professional in cheering on the guys,” Udoka said of Hernangomez. “I think it’s a tough situation and one of the toughest as coaches is finding minutes for everybody and honestly, it was ... nothing that he didn’t do.”