What Ime Udoka Expects From New Celtics Trade Acquistion Bol Bol

Bol Bol won’t make an immediate impact on the court in Boston, but Celtics coach Ime Udoka sees a promising future for the forward, who the Celtics traded for late Tuesday night.

Bol, who appeared in 14 games for the Denver Nuggets this season, is expected to miss two to three months as he recovers from recent foot surgery. The team announced he would be out indefinitely, but The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the projected timeline for his return.

Speaking to reporters prior to Wednesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, Udoka explained what he’s looking for from the 22-year-old down the line.

“He’s an intriguing young player … that could possibly join us in the next few months,” Udoka said. “I’ve seen him quite a bit at Oregon before he got hurt there, playing with (Celtics guard) Payton (Pritchard). We’ve known about him. Intriguing guy that can do a lot of things, obviously. He’s a guy that is a restricted free agent, so we can retain his rights, get a good look at him over the next few months.”

A second-round pick by the Miami Heat out of Oregon in 2019, Bol has appeared in 53 games over three NBA seasons, all spent with the Nuggets. He has averaged 6.2 minutes per game.

In the three-team trade, the Celtics also welcomed back P.J. Dozier (who played six games in Boston in the 2018-19 season) while trading Juancho Hernangomez to the San Antonio Spurs.