Suns Have One of Most 'Confusing' NBA Players

Bleacher Report put Phoenix Suns big man Bol Bol at the top of their list of most confusing NBA players.

The Phoenix Suns went under a massive overhaul of both the coaching staff and roster this offseason, hoping to reverse fortune of exiting the postseason earlier than anticipated. 

The Suns are only a few years removed from their 2021 run to the NBA Finals, and there's hope that a slew of new faces highlighted by Bradley Beal will lead them to a franchise-first title. 

Newcomers such as Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop and Eric Gordon arrived in free agency while familiar names such as Josh Okogie and Damion Lee re-signed with the team. 

The Suns have most of their starting lineup figured out while key veterans await on the bench to fill whatever gaps needed, yet it was the signing of Bol Bol that brought on some of the most intrigue. 

The term intrigue was swapped for "confusing" by Bleacher Report, where Bol landed on their list of seven players whose careers simply don't make sense to this point. 

Author Zach Buckley explained: 

"In a league where nothing beats the combination of size and skill, you might think Bol Bol would have the inside track on superstardom and the many spoils that come with it. After all, he's a 7'2", 220-pounder with legitimate perimeter talents. His highlight reels are basically powered by unicorn fuel.

"Catch him on the right night, during the right sequence, and you'll see some of the same jumbo-sized creation and seemingly impenetrable paint protection that the San Antonio Spurs expect to receive from Victor Wembanyama.

"Indeed, if given the choice, Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr. told The Carton Show (h/t Cody Taylor of The Rookie Wire) he'd take Bol over this year's No. 1 pick.

"Now, that's a volcanic eruption of a (nonsensical) hot take, but it speaks to how intriguing the idea of Bol really is. He is, in theory, someone who can protect the basket and clean the glass on defense, then grab-and-go with the rebound and push the ball down floor. On offense, he can finish by the basket, beat defenders off the bounce and is confident (though not always capable) of shooting from the perimeter.

"The 23-year-old sounds unstoppable, but his stat sheet tells a different story. He has only been a rotation player in one of his four seasons and owns a below-average 13.9 career player efficiency rating. There's a reason he found only minimum money in free agency. He isn't a playmaker (more turnovers than assists), has trouble defending in space and lacks the bulk to bang inside.

"While it feels too early to give up on Bol's development, there aren't a lot of players with four NBA seasons under their belt who are still labeled as a project. He's hard to quit, but even harder to figure out."