Chicago Bulls Drafting a Point Guard is a Priority

By Paul Steeno | Jun 9, 2015

With the 2015 NBA draft on the horizon, the Chicago Bulls front office will be tasked with selecting a player that can make an instant impact on this team during the 2015-16 season. Although the Bulls have a variety of needs they need to address, finding a young, highly-skilled point guard to eat up minutes behind Derrick Rose may be their most pressing priority outside of signing swingman Jimmy Butler to a max contract and preserving the core of this team.

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A number of mock drafts have the Bulls selecting a point guard with their 22nd pick in the draft. The latest Bleacher Report mock draft created by Chris Roling predicts that the Bulls will select Louisville point guard Terry Rozier.

Sam Smith of Bulls.com believes that Chicago will take Delon Wright of Utah, while Derek Bodner of USA Today Sports thinks the Bulls will take Duke guard Tyus Jones. Jerian Grant, a guard from nearby Notre Dame has also been linked to the Chicago Bulls, albeit not as frequently.

In 2012, the Chicago Bulls selected Kentucky point guard Marquis Teague with their 29th pick in the first round. In a just over a year and a half with the Bulls, Teague proved ineffective as an NBA player, only managing two points per game during his time in Chicago. He currently plays for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Developmental League. This occasion marks the last time the Chicago Bulls selected a point guard in the first round.

Dec 19, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Marquis Teague (25) dribbles the ball in front of Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

With Rose’s injury history and the dramatic turnover at the point guard position over the last five years, drafting a point guard that can become a long-term contributor becomes imperative for the Bulls future success.

Since sustaining his first major knee injury in May 2012, Rose has missed a total of 207 games. With two years left on his current contract, an uncertain future awaits the Bulls in regards to the health of Derrick Rose. A young player to back him up in the case of another catastrophe could alleviate some of this uncertainty.

In terms of other options at the backup point guard position, the Bulls are virtually at a loss, so addressing this issue this month is that much more important.

Veteran point guard Kirk Hinrich has a player option for next season. In essence, this means that Hinrich gets to decide whether he wants to stay in Chicago or become an unrestricted free agent after next season. However, he is unlikely to make any substantive amount of money in free agency and could very well end up with the Bulls again next year.

The presence of a young point guard on the roster reduces the Bulls’ reliance on Kirk Hinrich, whose utility continues to dwindle with age.

Last season, Hinrich recorded career-lows in points, rebounds and assists and his 6.82 player efficiency rating (PER) was the forth-lowest in the entire NBA. If the Bulls draft a point guard that can immediately contribute and garner high minute totals, Hinrich takes his rightful position at the end of the bench.

May 6, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives through Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) and guard Kirk Hinrich (12) during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The future of the other two point guards currently on the roster is uncertain as well. Aaron Brooks becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. E’Twaun Moore has a team option for next season, meaning that the Chicago Bulls decide whether or not they want to extend his contract.

If both players end up leaving the team, the Bulls are left with limited options at the point guard position aside from Rose.

There are other benefits to drafting a point guard this season. Obviously, there is utility in having a young player that can develop within a system from the beginning of their career onward.

In addition, drafting a young point guard eliminates the necessity of signing a new point guard in free agency every season like the Bulls have done in the past. A young, freshly-drafted point guard has greater potential to become a concrete, long-term option moving forward than a veteran guard on a one year contract.

A number of mock drafts have the Bulls selecting a wing player with their 22nd pick. However, the Bulls already have a slew of players to address this need. Jimmy Butler has developed into one of the best two-way players in the league and has proven capable of carrying the scoring burden offensively.

In addition, underutilized players like Tony Snell, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic will finally be granted meaningful minutes under new head coach Fred Hoiberg in a system that caters to their three-point shooting strengths.

The Bulls already have talented young wing players on their roster. However, they don’t have a young point guard hence why drafting a point guard should be of utmost importance.

As stated in the opening, preserving the existing core of this team is extremely important. However, creating a young group of players that can develop into the core for the future, thus creating sustained success for this team, is also vitally important. The Bulls’ ability to draft a talented point guard that can become a long-term option goes a long way towards accomplishing this goal.

Next: If he's on the board at No. 22, would the Bulls take Jerian Grant?

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