Sixers Rookie Reflection: Jonah Bolden

I have a weakness for 3-and-D basketball players. Perhaps it’s the aesthetic of rendering an offensive player obsolete on some occasions or how they synergize with offensive creators, but that archetype drew me to Jonah Bolden. Following his second Summer League appearance where he didn’t flourish, I still held out hope that he’d crack Philadelphia’s regular season rotation and duel with Mike Muscala for backup center minutes.

I didn’t envision many Bolden minutes at power forward, but his success there and versatility to play alongside Embiid and other bigs speaks to his utility. While context is important, the two-most frequent Bolden-Embiid lineups produced a plus-14.1 and plus-37.2 net rating.

Embiid is more capable of thwarting closeouts by attacking the rim, but Bolden complements Embiid with his spacing and weakside put-back potential. Bolden sports a 7'3" wingspan at 6'10" and it plays on both ends. Even though Brett Brown seldom runs pick-and-rolls, compared to dribble handoffs, Bolden is a bonafide lob target next season.

Bolden also converts shots around the basket at a high rate. He finished in the 97th percentile among big men on shots at the rim at 78.0 percent, per Cleaning the Glass. He isn’t a back-to-basket big, and his arsenal in that area remains rather barren. Bolden is more comfortable in face-up situations in the half court. His shots typically come from near the rim and behind the arc, per Cleaning the Glass’s Shot Frequency Chart.

To quantify the orange and yellow around the three-point arc, 59.3 percent of Bolden’s shot attempts were threes. Additionally, 33.3 percent came from three feet and in. That means only 7.4 percent of Bolden’s shots were from four feet to the perimeter. Bolden’s shot density from either three or close range is optimal from a 3-and-D big. I’d additionally be interested to see how Bolden fares as a short roll passer next season as he eschews paint attempts.

Bolden’s progression from deep deserves a hat tip and bell ring because that’s his swing skill towards earning minutes. He started off his NBA career just 2-of-17 (11.7 percent) from three but when the calendar flipped to 2019, Bolden illustrated why he warranted the 3-and-D label when entering the league.

Bolden finished at 35.4 percent, a clip Sixers fans would probably be joyous over if you polled how efficient they’d want the 23-year-old rookie to be from deep before 2018–19. Within that figure, Bolden displayed two areas where he can punish teams from distance. First, Bolden can stretch defenses with his catch-and-shoot ability. Again we have to factor in defenses affording Bolden with space, in comparison to guards and wings, but a 35.6 percent clip on 2.0 attempts per game is impressive for a rookie big man.

As Bolden was plastered to the bench due to his inexperience this postseason, he could mimic the above situation moving forward in a power forward role alongside Embiid. Mike Scott is primed to be Philadelphia’s stretch four for the foreseeable future, but Bolden could be a viable kick-out option for Ben Simmons and the Sixers’ other playmakers at center.

What’s interesting in the above clip is Bolden is on the weak side and Embiid locates him. If Bolden’s defender digs on Embiid and Embiid can keep his head up to find Bolden, the big man tandem can be effective in this way. While Embiid and Bolden aren’t a puzzle piece fit offensively, Bolden can play off the attention Embiid commands as a spacer and even a diver.

Re-signing Tobias Harris also would be a boost for a lineup featuring Bolden at center, who is a more versatile scorer than Scott. Below, Steven Adams is freelancing under the basket and allows Bolden to trickle to the perimeter. Butler could’ve took a hook shot in traffic but instead kicks out to a wide-open Bolden. Jimmy Buckets hooking up Bolden with a bucket of his own.

Simmons out of the post, Butler penetrating and forcing defenses to collapse in response, Harris swinging it when closeouts swarm to contest; Bolden can be another outlet in addition to Embiid at the 5. They all demand gravity in some form and Bolden can reap the benefits.

The Sixers might need to retain Redick on a reasonable offer as a starter or role player, as he showed he can be defensively hidden in the playoffs and provide effective spacing even past his prime. Redick and Embiid mesh like peanut butter and jelly and perhaps an offseason with Bolden in the fold can build some cohesion. The clip below displays Bolden and Redick working in tandem off this DHO/stagger screen play.

Davis shows in the pick-and-roll and is late to contest Bolden’s three. With Davis at center, Bolden’s spacing attracts Davis and limits the opportunity for rim protection. Bolden is open and has confidence in his shot, which probably ebbed and flowed earlier in the season. Brook Lopez plus D.J. Wilson and Marc Gasol elevated their respective team’s offensive ceiling with floor spacing and Bolden can follow suit in some capacity.

Bolden as a quinary offensive option as a catch-and-shoot plus rim-running/lane-filling big man can play either in transition or at a slower tempo in the half court. I’m also eager to see some pick-and-pop action with Bolden to throw off defenses. Brett Brown’s strong track record in development will do wonders for Bolden over the offseason.

There’s reason to be optimistic about Bolden’s offensive progression as a spacer and finisher around the basket. However, Bolden’s defensive ability is the crown jewel for Philadelphia’s budding talent.

It was wholly refreshing to witness Bolden switch onto guards, spike the ball via a weakside block and elicit Nerlens Noel (who was traded for a fake first-round pick, by the way) memories.

Let me reiterate. Jonah Bolden can switch onto guards.

Exceptional footwork and Bolden blocked De’Anthony Melton’s path by sliding vertically to eventually force a turnover. Bolden gave up six inches on this possession and still contained the point guard. Mike Scott, Mike Muscala, Wilson Chandler and Boban Marjanovic couldn’t perform this task to Bolden’s degree. Now, I don’t want to oversell Bolden’s strength as a switch big. He’ll naturally lose a foot race to the basket, given his size, and can get left behind when he’s flat footed on defense.

That applies to most, if not all big men, in the league and Bolden has the ingredients (mobility, coordination, length, lateral quicks, among others) for Brett Brown to trust him on switches. Among regular rotation members, Bolden ranked third behind Simmons and Embiid in defensive box plus-minus at 2.1.

He can come over from the weak side and engulf shots with his elevation and wingspan. The defensive sequence below encapsulates Bolden’s strengths.

Bolden drops in coverage to prevent a driving lane, but affords Thaddeus Young space. Bolden doesn’t bite for the pump fake, following his closeout, plants with his right foot in pursuit of Young and forces the kick-out. When Young receives the ball for the second time and dashes toward the basket, Bolden flips his hips and mirrors the former Sixer. He keeps his hands up and arms extended to force a wild attempt. Bolden’s springy second jump allows him to snuff Myles Turner’s follow-up attempt. Bolden averaged 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes but has the tendency to be overaggressive, as illustrated here by Liberty Ballers’ Tom West.

The Jonah Bolden defensive experience is an entertaining treat if you’re either a Sixers fan or are into the league’s rising talent. With the proliferation of mobile floor-spacing centers, I’d still pitch for Bolden as Embiid’s backup while Mike Scott cozies into the Sixers’ stretch four role off the bench moving forward.

Both Bolden and Scott could be focal points off Brett Brown’s second unit where you don’t have to deviate from them, as what transpired throughout this past season. Bolden’s ultra-friendly four-year, $7 million contract, per Spotrac, allows general manager Elton Brand to dish out salary devoted towards retaining players and keying in on other role players he covets.

Philadelphia essentially played without a backup center during their series-deciding loss to Toronto. Bolden should be their answer moving forward.

*Stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass, basketball-reference.com, stats.NBA.com and ESPN.*