Former Duke big man Marques Bolden is among the NBA prospects who have had a pre-draft workout with the Oklahoma City Thunder thus far.
According to a person who has direct knowledge of the team schedule, the prospect worked out with the Thunder and three others teams before the 2019 NBA Draft early entry withdrawal deadline. The person told USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Thunder Wire on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on this matter.
He is one of several NBA prospects who decided to keep their name in the draft rather than returning for another year of playing in the NCAA. He has seven additional workouts after the deadline, the person told Thunder Wire.
The 6-foot-11 big man recorded the seventh-most blocks in the ACC last season, just one fewer than teammate Zion Williamson, despite starting just 21 of 35 possible games for the Blue Devils.
On the other side of the court, Bolden was an efficient scorer. He averaged 1.06 points per possession in a set offense for Duke, per Synergy Sports, which ranked in the 92nd percentile among all prospects. Only nine prospects in the ACC had more PPP (minimum: 150 possessions) during their half-court finishes. As a sophomore, he was also one of the ten most efficient scorers (minimum: 100 possessions) in a set offense.
Bolden is listed at No. 74 overall on the Tankathon big board, which suggests he might make the most as an undrafted free agent for Oklahoma City. But if he does well in summer league and training camp for whatever team he ends up with, a two-way contract could make sense given his size and skill set on both ends of the floor.
