What could the Chicago Bulls be looking for in the 2022 NBA Draft?
Your guide to the Chicago Bulls' outlook for the June 23rd, 2022 draft.
1. The best offer to trade out of the 2022 NBA Draft:
As per usual, one of the most likely outcomes is also the most boring. The Bulls could use plenty of help after a tough end to a successful 46-win season but you don’t often see veteran-laden teams turn to rookies to help them get to the next level.
This means Bulls fans need to keep an eye out for Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley trading the pick to a needy team. A team like the Lakers (no 2022 draft picks) or Clippers (no 1st round pick) could come calling, looking for the slight cap relief that would come with swapping a player under contract for a pick. There would be no shame in the Bulls front office deciding to punt on this year’s draft with Zach LaVine’s big-time negotiations coming up. On top of not wanting to add a rookie contract on the books, Arturas Karnisovas is likely more intested in getting a 1st round pick in an absolutely loaded 2023 NBA Draft.
The Bulls 2023 1st round pick is currently going to Orlando unless it lands in the top-four (obviously unlikely) so recouping assets for the super-talented ’23 class could be a prescient move.
2. An elite 3-point shooter (preferably with size/defensive ability)
Translation: Get a “3-and-D” guy, which is easier said than done when the entire league is looking for the same archetype. Of course, it should be easier for the Bulls, as they lack these type of players to the extent that almost any playable 3-point shooter would be a welcome addition to their rotation.
Chicago, despite their stellar bounceback season, finished 2021–22 season dead-last in the league in 3-point attempts (28.8) and 29th in 3-point makes (10.6 per game). The Bulls top-five 3-point percentage barely mattered when you factored in how few they took. Accuracy is great but in today’s league if you don’t have the 3-point volume, you won’t hang with the elite teams in the league, which the Bulls struggled to do all season, finishing the year a truly awful 2–20 against playoff teams.
If the Bulls look to solve some of their shooting woes at with the 18th pick, expect players like Ohio State’s Malaki Branham (6-foot-5, 40% from 3PT), LSU forward Tari Eason and recent National Title winner Ochai Agbaji (6-foot-5, 40% from 3PT) to be in play.
3. A dependable backup/third-string center
It is not likely that a team finds a quality backup center late in the first round but the Bulls are in the fortunate position of having a 1st round pick in one of the deeper draft classes in terms of capable big men.
Nikola Vucevic — despite the usual back and forth among fans about his effectiveness — turned in another great season, averaging 17.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. His 3-point shooting took a major hit as he only shot 31% from deep. Vucevic is very much a finesse player at this point of his career, that is unless the Bulls commit harder to getting him touches in the paint. All in all, Vucevic had a solid season and wasn’t as big of a problem as it seemed to some fans, the bigger issue was the lack of clear-cut options behind him.
Tony Bradley truly has some of the worst touch around the basket of any big man in the NBA….yet his physical screening and solid defense made him a worthwile rotation piece for the Bulls. Of course, the team went hunting for an upgrade and came back with Tristan Thompson, who did not bring the tough rebouding presence that the Bulls were counting on.
Ultimately, Bradley’s averages of 10 points (58% FG) and 12 rebounds per 36 minutes compared quite favorably to Thompson’s 12 points (56% FG) and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes which makes the Thompson addition one of the first notable failures from Chicago’s new front office.
The Bulls need some true rim protection or floor spacing from whoever they choose to be their next backup five.
Keep a watchful eye on prospects like Mark Williams from Duke — who surely won’t be on the board at 18, meaning Chicago would need to move up in the draft to get him — EJ Liddell from Ohio State, Orlando Robinson from Fresno State (35% from 3-PT as a 7-footer), and the nation’s leader in total blocks, 7-foot-1 Aurburn sophomore Walker Kessler.
