SALT LAKE CITY – Before the Sixers drafted Jonah Bolden, he made a name for himself in Europe as a potent outside shooter. Now Bolden is starting to turn heads with his defensive play as well.
Bolden offset a mediocre shooting night with a strong defensive performance in his Sixers debut Monday. The 6-foot-10 forward finished nine points on 4 of 10 shooting in an 89-88 loss to the Celtics, including 1 of 4 from long distance. But he also recorded a team-high four blocked shots in 22 minutes.
"I've always had good instincts for the ball," Bolden said. "Reading and timing of when the offensive player is going up for a shot. I did end up with six fouls. A little bit too aggressive. In a regular NBA game, six fouls and you're out. But I knew we had 10 fouls last night, so I was going to make the most of it for sure."
Bolden adds a welcome element to an already intriguing package for the Sixers. They selected the Australian native with the 36th pick in the NBA draft in June.
The Sixers saw potential with his length, versatility and outside shooting. Last season, Bolden appeared in 25 games with Serbian club FMP Beograd. He averaged 12.9 points and shot 41.9 percent from three-point range.
Bolden has already made strides since joining the Sixers for the summer.
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"Every day that he's played competitively since he's gotten here, we've seen him grow and grow in his assertiveness," Sixers summer league coach Billy Lange said. "And it just happens. You start figuring out language. You start figuring out spacing and where you have to be."
Bolden's outside shot wasn't up to his normal standards in his first summer league action, but he feels like he is adjusting well to the system that the Sixers run. He said the pace at which they play fits well with what he considers his strengths on offense.
The shots are developing for Bolden like he hoped and anticipated. Now it's just a matter of getting a few more to drop through the net.
"I was more of a defensive player (Monday) and, for me, I want to work a lot more on the offensive side," Bolden said. "That comes with time. Shots came. One of the focus points coach said was just moving the ball and the shots will come and they did. They just got to go down."
Bolden has taken a long winding road to get his shot with an NBA team. He left Australia to play high school basketball in the U.S., first at Findlay Prep in Las Vegas and then Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. From there, Bolden spent a season with UCLA and then turned pro in 2016.
Following a successful one-year stint with FMP Beograd, Bolden signed a two-year deal with Crvena Zvezda in June - two weeks before being drafted by the Sixers.
Bolden wasn't originally expected to be available this season for the Sixers because of his contract. But he does have a buyout option if the team decides to bring him aboard sooner rather than later.
The Sixers do like what they are seeing in terms of progress from Bolden already.
"He's learning NBA offense and where he's supposed to be and our defensive terminology," Lange said. "Then he goes and just does what he does, which is be an aggressive athlete."
If Bolden's shooting catches up to his defensive aggressiveness during the remainder of summer league play, it may be tough for the Sixers to not work out a deal and give Bolden a shot on the regular season roster a little earlier than anticipated.
