Three Options the Bulls Have With the No. 4 Overall Pick
The Bulls found some lottery fortune as they moved up to the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery.
Let’s take a look at 3 potential draft options that the Bulls could be targeting.
Draft the best available player. That is the stance that executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has consistently stated is his mindset.
Drafting for need will not be the focus of who the Bulls take with their 1st round pick.
“I think you address by selecting the best player available, especially at four,” said Karnisovas to NBC Sports Chicago. “I don’t think you address needs at the four. You get the best talent. That’s what we’re going to be looking for with the highest upside player. The way I approach the draft is there’s a ton of opportunities. You’re going to take 100 calls and possibly nothing is going to happen and you’re going to stay at four and (second round) 44. It’s an exciting time to make your organization better that night. It will probably be a difference of opinion from team to team, which creates opportunities. So that’s the way I’m looking at it.”
Although this year’s draft class doesn’t have a consensus No. 1 pick most NBA draft analysts have James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball, and Anthony Edwards going in the top 3. After that, it’s anyone’s guess as to who the Bulls will consider taking with the No. 4 spot.
Here’s a look at 3 players who could be on the Bulls radar.
Killian Hayes
As you can see from the video, Hayes is a tantalizing prospect that has strong play-making potential.
He could help facilitate the offense freeing up the need for Zach LaVine to create offense on his own.
He shot 48.2% from the field and made 87.6% of his free-throws this season, but he only hit just 29.4% of his 3-point attempts in 33 games on the year.
The problem is that the Bulls have Coby White more or less penciled in as the starting point guard of the future. Hayes lacks elite level athleticism, is a porous defender, and was a little turn over prone with the ball in his hands last season.
Obi Toppin
The former Dayton product and National Player of the Year winner put up an impressive showing in his sophomore year.
He averaged 20.0 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.0 steals.
He shot a blistering 63.3 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.2 percent from the free-throw line. Offensively he can flat outscore with the best of them. Still, there are some areas in his game that will raise a few eyebrows.
His pick and roll defense and lack of lateral quickness when guarding against smaller players leave a lot to be desired. He’s not much of a shot creator for others with his weak ball-handling skills so there goes any chance of the offense running through him.
There’s the little thing of Lauri Markkanen and Bulls management seeking to unlock his offensive woes from last year, along with the continued offensive growth of Daniel Gafford which could mitigate Toppin’s chances of having an immediate impact on the court. And at 23 years old, Toppin’s athletic ceiling might not be considered high by Bulls’ evaluators.
Deni Avdija
There’s a lot to like about the youngest Israeli MVP in league history.
His offensive skill set matches what you want in players for the modern NBA.
He’s very fluid on the fast break, has a very high IQ which is highlighted by his ball-handling abilities and playmaking skills and shows impeccable offensive tendencies in the pick and roll game. In the 11 games played in the Basketball Champions League, he averaged 14.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and three assists per game.
Still, there are some flaws in his game that will need to be corrected.
His shooting will definitely need some retooling. Avdija shot 43.6 percent from the field, 27.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 55.6 percent from the free-throw line. While he’s shown the capability of not being a defensive liability there are questions as to whether he can guard quick wings while playing the wing position.
Still, there’s a reason why there is so much hype surrounding the upside of Avdija’s potential.
He’s shown a knack for improving his game immensely and is still only 19 years old.
Featured Image: ClutchPoints
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