The Chicago Bulls enter the 2015 offseason with a number of issues to address in order to make their team better. The NBA draft on June 25 offers the first opportunity of the summer for NBA teams to add new talent to their respective organizations.
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Utah Utes point guard Delon Wright has emerged as an overwhelming favorite among NBA experts as the player that the Bulls will likely select in the draft this summer. Is he the right pick?
On Friday, Chicago Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson wrote a column that provided a comprehensive look at which players various writers were picking in their mock drafts to land in Chicago. Five of the writers cited by Johnson had the Bulls selecting Delon Wright, which was more than any other player.
Delon Wright is a 23-year-old point guard from Los Angeles, California who played two seasons at the University of Utah. Prior to playing at Utah, he played basketball at the City College of San Francisco because his high school grades prevented him from attending a major university right away. Wright is 6-foot-6, 181 pounds. At the NBA Combine, he recorded a 31-inch performance in the vertical jump.
In his two seasons at Utah, Wright proved to be one of the best players in the country. He was a two-time selection to the First-Team All-Pac 12 team and he was also selected to the All-Pac 12 defensive team twice while at Utah. In 2015, he was a consensus second team All-American selection.
| Year | Team | Games Played (GP) | Games Started (GS) | Minutes Per Game (MPG) | Field Goal Percentage (FG%) | Three-Point Percentage (3P%) | Free Throw Percentage (FT%) | Rebounds Per Game (RPG) | Assists Per Game (APG) | Steals Per Game (SPG) | Blocks Per Game (BPG) | Points Per Game (PPG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Utah | 33 | 33 | 33.4 | 50.9% | 35.6% | 83.6% | 4.9 | 5.1 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 14.5 |
| 2014-15 | Utah | 33 | 33 | 36.4 | 56.1% | 22.2% | 79.3% | 6.8 | 5.3 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 15.5 |
One of Wright’s biggest strengths is his size, especially considering his position. His 6’6″ frame gives him defensive flexibility meaning he is able to guard a number of positions on the floor including hybrid guard-forward type players who are becoming increasingly more common in the NBA today.
According to Draft Express, his size also makes him an extremely good rebounder for his position. He is ranked fourth among eligible point guards in terms of rebounding production adjusted for 40 minutes of playing time.
Perhaps, Wright’s greatest strength is his elite-level defense. As previously noted, he was selected to the All-Pac 12 defensive team twice during his career at Utah. DX takes particular note of his defensive instincts, as he averaged 1.2 blocks and 2.6 steals per game “despite average length ”. He forces a turnover on 27 percent of occasions in which he is isolated on an offensive player.
Wright is more of a traditional point guard in the sense that he looks to get his teammates involved in the offense as much as possible. DX wrote that he averages 6.2 assists when adjusted for 40 minutes of playing time. He also takes care of the ball, as proven by his 32.8 percent assist rate to a 14.4 percent turnover rate on possessions in which he touches the ball.
He has excellent court vision, capable of locating teammates cutting towards the basket and finding open teammates on the perimeter.
In terms of scoring, he is savvy at finding creative ways to get the ball into the basket. He isn’t overly explosive or quick but compensates nicely with an array of crafty dribble moves. DX notes that he is able to get to the free throw stripe frequently because of his ability to change speeds at an elite level which throws defenders off.
Jonathan Givony of Draft Express lays outs how he compensates for his below-average athleticism.
"While not exceptionally quick or explosive, Wright does a terrific job of getting to the rim and finishing, hitting an outstanding 66% of his shots around the basket in the half-court. He is extremely crafty with the way he creates offense on the perimeter, relying heavily on a variety of hesitation moves, fakes and fancy footwork to keep opponents off-balance. His combination of excellent size, long strides and smooth body control helps him get right into the teeth of the defense with regularity, and he finishes very creatively around the rim with soft touch and a knack for using the glass."
Obviously, Wright also has some weaknesses. He falters most noticeably shooting the basketball from distance.
While at Utah, Wright shot 38-126 (30 percent) on shots from long range. He is a better spot-up shooter than a pull-up shooter, but overall, struggles to hit shots from outside which makes him a relatively one-dimensional player offensively.
Givony also noted how this becomes an issue if he makes it to the NBA.
"His hesitance to shoot off the dribble is something that better defenses scouted and were able to take advantage of consistently the last two years, sagging way off him, going underneath screens on the pick and roll, and generally mucking up Utah’s offense."
As noted earlier, Wright is crafty when scoring around the basket. But, some scouts worry that the elevated athleticism of NBA players will neutralize the array of moves he utilized to score in college. The lack of athleticism also becomes an issue defensively; as Wright may not be effective against the fast, quick point guard crop that seems to be dominating the NBA.
However, despite his downfalls, Wright remains a solid option for the Chicago Bulls in the 2015 draft.
Bulls reporter Sam Smith kept it pretty simple when describing why the Bulls need Delon Wright by saying, “He’s got good size, defends, is mature and projects as a solid rotation reserve.”
Wright is a safe player to pick because he is going to fit the system no matter the coach. If Thibodeau retains the head coaching position this summer, Wright should have little trouble fitting in because he can defend.
Thibodeau has shown a willingness to give rookies an opportunity during their first year if they can defend at an elite level as evidenced by Tony Snell averaging 16 minutes per game during his rookie season and Jimmy Butler averaging 8.5 minutes during his rookie campaign.
Wright is a prototypical point guard that resembles a younger Kirk Hinrich in many ways. He can defend at an elite level, has great court vision and can command an offense proficiently. The difference between the two is Wright can score in bunches, which is never a bad thing in a Thibodeau led offense.
If the Bulls opt to get rid of Thibodeau and bring in Fred Hoiberg from Iowa State, Wright still remains a good draft candidate capable of fitting this drastically different system. Basketball writer Kelly Scaletta notes that Hoiberg’s system benefits point guards with good passing ability.
"Hoiberg calls the short corner area two to three feet off the baseline and behind the defense the post player’s “room.” The purpose of the ball screen is to get a player in the paint attacking the defense. With post players “in their room” behind the defense, post defenders have to decide to either help up or sink back. I would say true back to the basket post players would be devalued in Hoiberg’s system and springy and rangy baseline athletes would become prioritized."
In order for this type of strategy to work, a team must have a point guard with good court vision. As noted above, Wright is tall for his position, which allows him to see over the defense and make passes inside to open big men or cutting wing players.
In addition, his repertoire of crafty moves allows him to penetrate virtually at will. With big men “staying in their rooms”, defenses are forced to either come up and help on a driving Wright, leaving the big men open or stay on their assignments and open up the lane for Wright. It is a lose-lose situation for defenses.
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Much of Hoiberg’s success offensively is based off of drag screens that are used to set-up early offense in the shot-clock. The purpose of this strategy is to attack the defense before they have a chance to set themselves with the idea that this will make scoring easier.
Wright is excellent in transition, and becomes a prolific playmaker in this type of situation with the double-edged sword of fantastic court vision and the ability to finish around the basket.
Wright’s presence on the team would completely negate Kirk Hinrich‘s utility; something that Bulls fans have wanted ever since it became clear that Kirk was on the downside of his career.
The long-term presence of a young and solid point guard also eliminates the necessity of shopping around for a rental point guard for another season, and allows the Bulls to add another piece to the nucleus of this team.
Wright remains a safe pick for the Bulls because his skill-set is compatible with the existing system under Thibodeau, yet still complies with the fast-paced tempo offense that Hoiberg would introduce if he becomes head coach this summer. He is a prototypical point guard; capable of making everybody around him better. He is 23 years old, so the maturity physically and mentally is already there.
Overall, Wright would be in a favorable situation in Chicago, with the added bonus that he would be mentored by one of the NBA’s best point guards in Derrick Rose.
Next: 2015 NBA Draft: An early look at some mock selections for the Bulls
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