Chicago Bulls: 5 Prospects They Should Avoid in NBA Draft

If the Chicago Bulls do get around trading up or down the draft, there are some players they should avoid picking because they don’t fit Fred Hoiberg‘s system and they just aren’t the best available at the 14th spot (or possibly higher).

Coming into the 2016 NBA Draft and despite some of their unpleasant moments at times, Gar Forman and John Paxson are smarter than some of Bulls fan community give them credit for.

Having said that, it’s okay to trust them not to select any of the following college prospects who are much hyped in the mid-teen range of the draft, but who aren’t really worth it. The Bulls can do way better than pick some overrated college star.

Here’s a list of players that could be available at No. 14 (or potentially higher if the Bulls move around) in the draft, but should be passed over for different reasons.

Marquette’s Henry Ellenson

Ellenson can bring the ball up the court like a point forward, but he also plays with blinders and hogs the ball when he sets up a play after pushing the ball up the court. The Bulls are better off picking someone who is a defensive specialist like Michigan State’s Deyonta Davis or a three-and-D forward like Taurean Prince from Baylor instead of Ellenson.

Ellenson could land anywhere inside the second half of the top 10 picks or into the mid-teens. As much as the Bulls will likely need a big man, Henry Ellenson would be the most underwhelming choice among bigs available in the draft right now.

More bulls: 2016 NBA Draft: North Carolina's Brice Johnson

Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield

He won’t slide to the 14th spot because some team higher up will draft a pure scorer like him. But wait, wasn’t Jimmer Fredette a lottery pick and a pure scoring machine in college? Hield was shut down in the Final Four this year by eventual champion Villanova and missed a big chance on the biggest stage.

Hield may be one of the most overrated scorers in this year’s draft because the NBA is filled with lockdown NBA players who can stop him. On the other end, there’s no telling what he can do in the NBA. He may go off on nights and score 25-30 points, but his future as a solid rotation player may be in question once his game is scouted.

More bulls: 2016 NBA Draft: Timothe Luwawu

It’s not likely, but if Jimmy Butler is possibly traded for higher draft picks, the Bulls shouldn’t waste one on Hield.

Gonzaga’s Domantas Sabonis

Arvydas Sabonis was an awesome NBA player. His son, Domantas, is at best a role player and undersized for an NBA big. A high-energy player who plays defense and rebound well, Domantas is similiar to Omer Asik. The Bulls front court may need some assistance this summer, but the veteran free agent market has enough bigs for cheap who can play right away and contribute.

Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine

Denzel Valentine is already 24 years old and he can’t play defense, even if he has been described as a 3-and-D big guard. As a point guard, he’s not as athletic as some of the other guards, is sloppy handling the ball and can’t push the ball like other guards in this draft class. He may have a role as a facilitator in half-court sets being a tall point guard at 6’6″.

But, the Bulls already have a taller facilitator in Noah (if they re-sign him) who can rebound and play defense. Nikola Mirotic can also run things as a point-forward for a few sets. Who needs a 6’6″ passer who can’t defend opposing All-Star point guards?

Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere

Labissiere has outstanding athleticism and raw skill that translate into a possible star if he can put it all together someday. But, if the Bulls had him available at the 14th, they should pass. His game is too raw and may need plenty of time maturing, possibly in the D-League or he’ll annihilated in the pros. Skal’s inconsistency is too much a risk for a gamble with the 14th pick. He may actually turn out to be a nice player in the future if he can hunker down and work on his skills and grow into his role, which means I’d be eating crow in three years or so.

But for now, I’d pick Washington’s Marquese Chriss as my project high-reward big man over Labissiere and watch him blossom.

Next: Could the Bulls find a way to make a Jimmy Butler trade work?

These are the players I believe the Bulls should be wary of when they go over the list of pieces they might want to add to the team. It seems that the front office is passing on them anyway because they have interviewed several point guard prospects already including Kris Dunn, Demetrius Jackson, Isaiah Whitehead and even Marquese Chriss, whom Fred Hoiberg personally met with.

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5 Prospects the Chicago Bulls Should Avoid in the 2016 NBA Draft

By Michael RENE KANOY | Jun 2, 2016