2015 NBA Draft: Top Three Chicago Bulls Prospects with 22nd Pick

The 2015 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday night. The Chicago Bulls will look at the draft as a key opportunity to improve their roster with the No. 22 overall pick.

More from Bulls News

The Bulls have struck on several late-first picks in recent years, including Nikola Mirotic at No. 23, Taj Gibson at No. 26 and Jimmy Butler at No. 30. This also has the potential to be deep on potentially immediate impact role players, which a championship-caliber roster like the Bulls could use.

Here’s a look at the top three guys Chicago should being looking at with the No. 22 pick:

SF Justin Anderson | Virginia | 6-6 | 231
12.2 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 46.6% FG | 45.2% 3P

Anderson fits all the checkpoints for a Chicago Bulls player during the John Paxson era. He comes from a winning culture, playing for a Virginia team that won 30 or more games over the past two seasons. He is a strong defender, with great size, strength and a nearly 7-foot wingspan.

He also developed a sweet shooting stroke during his junior season before fracturing his finger midway through the season. Having a consistent jump shot could vastly improve Anderson’s role player potential.

The Bulls don’t have many needs, but one of the clearest is on the wing. Mike Dunleavy Jr. will be a free agent this offseason, and it’s unclear whether the Bulls will be able to retain him. If Dunleavy leaves, Anderson could slide in and help take his place.

Anderson’s addition would give Chicago a wing rotation of Anderson, Butler, Doug McDermott and Tony Snell. That’s a good set of options for new head coach Fred Hoiberg to build rotations for next season. Each player brings a slightly different look.

PG Jerian Grant | Notre Dame | 6-5 | 198
16.5 PPG | 6.6 APG | 47.8% FG | 31.6% 3P

Grant has Chicago basketball in his blood: his uncle is former Chicago Bulls power forward Horace Grant. He also played less than 100 miles away from Chicago at Notre Dame (Paxson’s alma mater), while leading them to a No. 3 seed in the 2015 NCAA tournament. Grant is a big point guard, adept at running an offense and strong attacking the basket.

The one key downside is the three-point shot. Grant was a below-average shooter from three; it’s unlikely he’ll ever be more than a mediocre jump-shooter in the NBA.

Derrick Rose has a stranglehold on the point guard position, but Kirk Hinrich looked to be on his last legs behind Rose. Grant would be an ideal player to run the second rotation when Rose leaves the game.

He has a NBA-ready body and great athleticism for the position. Grant may not have much more to grow as a player, but the Bulls are looking for players who could come in and contribute on a playoff team right away. Grant certainly fits that profile.

PG Delon Wright | Utah | 6-6 | 181
14.7 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 5.0 APG | 50.5% FG | 35.6% 3P

After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2014, Utah basketball made a return to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the Andrew Bogut days a decade prior. The consensus All-American, Wright received the lion’s share of the credit. In addition to All-American honors, Wright was a two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team member and received the Bob Cousy Award as the best point guard in the country. The numbers don’t blow you away, but Wright was essential to everything the Utes accomplished.

Similar to Grant, Wright would slot in nicely behind Rose at the backup point guard spot. He has the size to play next to Rose at times, but will need to bulk up for his body to match his length. His jump shot took a step forward in 2014-15, but still was inconsistent at the college level.

If Wright develops a spot-up jumper from deep, he becomes that much more dangerous playing off the ball. Even if the jumper takes time to grow, Wright instantly steps in and improves on Hinrich in almost every category.

Next: 2015 NBA Draft: With the 22nd pick, the Chicago Bulls select...

More from Pippen Ain't Easy