Chicago Bulls’ NBA Draft prospects: Jarrett Culver vs. De’Andre Hunter

Jarrett Culver and De’Andre Hunter are two of the best wings in the 2019 NBA Draft. Which one would be better for the Chicago Bulls?

I hope the Chicago Bulls walk away from the 2019 NBA Draft with a new point guard, but as I’ve learned in my many years of being a Bulls fan, it’s best not to get my hopes up.

The Bulls’ starting frontcourt is set for a while. Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. aren’t getting replaced in the near future. So if the Bulls don’t draft a point guard with their first pick, it’s likely that they’ll end up with a wing.

It breaks my heart that R.J. Barrett will probably be selected with the third overall pick. He would look incredible in a Bulls uniform. The Bulls’ lack of lottery luck on May 14 means Jarrett Culver and De’Andre Hunter are the two most realistic wing options for the Bulls in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Culver and Hunter are both similar players. They’re defensive-minded wings who’ve improved drastically on the offensive end of the court. Which one would be better for the Chicago Bulls, though?

At 6’8″ with a 7’2″ wingspan, De’Andre Hunter has an incredible NBA body. He’s tall, strong and has long arms. Physically, he’s a beast. Thanks to his size and defensive versatility, Hunter could be featured at the four in small-ball lineups with Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr. and Zach LaVine. Throw a competent point guard in with that group of four and you have a pretty nasty small-ball lineup. Hopefully, Jim Boylen would be creative enough to experiment with that combination of dudes if the opportunity presents itself.

Culver is smaller than Hunter but still has pretty good size. In theory, the Bulls could do the same small-ball lineup with Culver in Hunter’s place, but it wouldn’t be as effective. Hunter weighs 33 pounds more than Culver, he’s over an inch taller and he has almost five extra inches on his wingspan. Those numbers make a big difference.

Despite being a smaller guy, Culver is still the better prospect, though.

Culver’s shooting numbers are concerning (30.4% from three, 70.7% from the free throw line), but he’s a brilliant passer, he’s good enough from the mid-range and he does a nice job of getting to the rim. He simply has a phenomenal feel for the game and a much more advanced skill set than Hunter.

If the Bulls end up trading Porter at some point, Culver could step in and be a great fit next to LaVine on the wing. He can guard the opposing teams best scorer and take some pressure off LaVine on offense.

The good news about both Culver and Hunter is that they both have high floors. There’s almost no way that either one of them will be bad. Both dudes will have a place in the NBA for a long, long time. Their ceilings are different, though.

Culver has the potential to be the best player on a championship-level team someday, and I’m just not sure Hunter has that same potential. He feels like the kind of guy that will be a really, really good role player for a championship-level team. That’s not a knock on Hunter. Role players can sometimes make or break a team in the playoffs. If I’m running the Bulls, though, I’d rather take the guy who has a better chance at becoming a star.

Jarrett Culver is that guy.