Jonah Bolden: OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect series

Feb 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Utes forward Kyle Kuzma (35) looks to shoot defended by UCLA Bruins guard Jonah Bolden (43) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

International power forward Jonah Bolden is next up in Thunderous Intentions NBA Draft Prospect Preview.

Jonah Bolden has been experiencing a recent ascent up the draft prospect ranking ladder. Like most international products less is known about him compared to his North American counterparts. The fact he’s climbing charts however suggests he’s impressing teams in his workouts.

Specifics:

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 227 lbs

Wingspan: unavailable

Position: Power Forward

Age: 21 years, 5 months

Statline: 12.9 points, 7.2 rebounds,1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, 41.9 percent from deep

Iternational: Radnicki Basket, Adriatic League (Junior)

Home Town: Melbourne, Australia

Current rankings:

Of note, these rankings are taken on day of writing, and are subject to change.

DraftExpress: 36th

NBA DraftNet: 57th

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor: 27th

CBS Sports: 37th

Basketball Insiders:43rd

Skills:

Bolden serves up major contradictions. Most notably he shoots an impressive 41.9 percent from deep. But, then struggles from the charity stripe with a meager 58.5 percent efficiency. He’s grown this season which seemed to be directly related with his ability to play in his preferred perimeter location of the court.

Diving into his background there is ample reason to be optimistic about his potential, especially if he’s in the right environment. That said, it feels like he’s perfectly suited for the Houston Rocket who’ll let him camp out on the perimeter and chose to play defense when it conveniently suits him.

Weaknesses:

In review of his film and other analysts reports about him there are some major red flags. None the least of which are how his production is inconsistent and directly tied to his confidence.

Although his streakiness could be a concern the bigger problem is his unwillingness to play inside or the fact he avoids contact like the plague. If he could get over these aversions his skill level could make him an ideal stretch four or small ball center.

Honors and awards:

ABA League Top Prospect, 2017

Pro Comparison:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer provided a ceiling comparison for each of his prospects. O’Connor’s list pegs Collins ceiling as Al Harrington, Tranquilized Draymond, Joe Ingles

The fit:

The sad part is looking at his potential versus his desire. If he does end up on a team who can take his natural skills while adding consistency and desire to those obvious assets he could well be a sleeper in this draft. Conversely, he could stubbornly refuse to make those commitments and end up being yet another talent who never lives up to expectations.

There are so many tangible assets Bolden offers, but his aversion to mixing it up inside or playing consistent defense won’t make him an appealing target for Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder brain trust.

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