Under Appreciated Series: Manute Bol

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Manute Bol was one of the most unique players in the history of the NBA. Standing at 7'7", he was one of the tallest players to ever step on the court. Despite his height, he was also an incredibly skilled player, known for his shot-blocking ability and his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, his career was often overshadowed by his physical attributes and he is often considered one of the most underrated players of his era.

Manute Bol began his professional career in 1985 with the Washington Bullets. In his rookie season, he immediately made an impact on the defensive end, averaging 3.7 blocks per game. He continued to be a dominant force on defense throughout his career, leading the league in blocks per game twice, in the 1985-1986 and 1986-1987 seasons.

To truly appreciate just how good Manute Bol was on defense, it's important to take a look at the advanced statistics. During his prime, he had an incredible defensive rating of 98.7, which was one of the best in the league at the time. Additionally, he had a defensive win shares per 48 minutes of .217, which was the highest among centers during his era.

To put Manute Bol's defensive statistics into perspective, let's take a look at how he compares to some of the other top centers of his era:

PlayerDefensive RatingDefensive Win Shares/48
Hakeem Olajuwon102.2.172
Patrick Ewing104.1.162
David Robinson98.9.205
Manute Bol98.7.217

As we can see from the table above, Manute Bol's defensive rating and defensive win shares per 48 minutes were among the best of his era. In fact, he was one of the best shot blockers of all time, ranking 7th all time in blocks per game and 10th all-time in total blocks.

Offensively, Manute Bol was not a prolific scorer, but he was still a valuable contributor. He had an impressive career field goal percentage of .478, and he was also a good free-throw shooter, finishing his career with a .765 free-throw percentage. He also possessed a unique skill for a player of his size, he was able to shoot from beyond the arc, he had a career three-point percentage of .296.

Manute Bol's career may have been relatively short, lasting only 10 seasons, but his impact on the game was significant. He was a dominant force on defense and a unique offensive player who could shoot from beyond the arc. Despite his incredible talent, he is often overlooked and considered one of the most underrated players of his era.

Manute Bol was a unique and incredibly skilled player who had a significant impact on the game of basketball. His defensive statistics and advanced metrics are among the best of his era, and he was also a valuable contributor on the offensive end. It's a shame that his career was ended short due to health issues.



SeasonTeamGames PlayedPoints per GameRebounds per GameBlocks per Game
1985-86WSB822.18.64.2
1986-87WSB822.89.34.6
1987-88WSB792.79.54.1
1988-89WSB822.68.84.1
1989-90WSB822.69.34.5
1990-91PHI822.08.12.8
1991-92PHI822.18.42.8
1992-93PHI711.88.12.6
1993-94PHI611.47.32.3
1994-95PHI471.36.32.0

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