Way-too-early look at mock selections for Chicago Bulls in 2018 NBA Draft

The 2017-18 NBA season is just around the corner, but for the Chicago Bulls and their rebuild phase, it’s important to look further ahead and past this season. It might be early, but it’s really never too early to look at some mock pick projections for the 2018 NBA Draft.

If you’ve glanced at the early NBA projections for the 2017-18 season, you’ll notice a common trend with the Chicago Bulls: they’re not going to be a very good basketball team.

In fact, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index has them slated to finish 23-59, which according to their projections, would be the worst record in the NBA this season.

That means the Bulls could be in line for a really high draft pick in June. Maybe even the No. 1 overall pick. That would definitely be something. 10 years after having a 1.7 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick for the 2008 NBA Draft and stealing Derrick Rose, the Bulls could very well find themselves atop the draft board once more.

So, why not look at who the Bulls could be scouting to take in next year’s draft? Sure, it’s only September and training camp hasn’t even started yet, but you can never be too prepared, right?

When you scan the way-too-early mock draft boards across the web these days, you’ll see a few high-profile names linked to the Bulls in mocks. Let’s take a look at a few members of the basketball community have taking with their likely top-10 next year.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor selects … Luka Doncic, G/F, Real Madrid

KOC is one of the best draft minds in the game today and in The Ringer‘s “An Entirely Premature 2018 NBA Lottery Mock Draft”, the Bulls have the top overall pick and he selected Real Madrid’s Luka Doncic.

Here’s some of what O’Connor had to say about Doncic being one of the best prospects in this year’s draft class:

"Doncic doesn’t need the ball in his hand, either. On 117 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this season, he’s shot 39.3 percent, per Synergy. The odds are that early in his career he’ll be asked to play off-ball, so it’s a huge bonus that he can be relied on to space the floor. Doncic will need to answer questions about his athleticism and defense once he reaches the NBA. But at every level, he’s elevated his game to match the play of his opponents. Players with elite intangibles tend to do just that. There’s little reason to think he’ll stop. Doncic has it."

Doncic tore up the EuroBasket 2017 for Slovenia, who won the entire tournament for the first time behind Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic and Doncic’s stellar play. He’s easily the most proven prospect right now and should absolutely near the top of the Bulls’ draft board.

Must Read: Luka Doncic made strong case to be No. 1 overall in 2018 draft

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman selects … Luka Doncic, Real Madrid

For B/R, NBA Draft expert Jonathan Wasserman also had the Bulls atop his mock draft at No. 1 overall he also took Doncic for the Bulls with the top pick.

Here’s a snippet of what Wasserman had to say about Doncic compared to some of the other top names in this class:

"On paper, there are prospects with higher ceilings, but empty production at Missouri won’t be enough for Michael Porter Jr. the way it was for Markelle Fultz at Washington. And Marvin Bagley III won’t sell the 2018 lottery winner with just flashes of upside here and there, the way Karl-Anthony Towns did at Kentucky.Bagley and Porter must be extra impressive to leapfrog Doncic, who has built a No. 1 overall case with unprecedented production, playmaking versatility, shooting and a Lonzo Ball-like feel for the game."

Tankathon selects … Michael Porter, F, Missouri

The next couple of mock drafts were last updated prior to September starting, so it was before Doncic lit up EuroBasket 2017. Still, Tankathon.com — a site that will likely become a good friend of yours this season — has the Bulls picking No. 1 overall in their mock also and they projected Missouri’s Michael Porter, Jr. to be the pick.

Porter is a 6-foot-10 dynamo of a forward that can score in any way from anywhere on the floor. He’s arguably the most special scorer as a college prospect since Kevin Durant.

CBS Sports’ Reid Forgrave selects … Miles Bridges, F, Michigan State

This mock draft was rather interesting from late August from CBS Sports’ Reid Forgrave.

The Bulls didn’t have the top overall pick in this mock draft like the other three mock drafts. They were picking No. 4 overall based off SportsLine’s projected NBA standings.

And, Forgrave selected Michigan State super athlete Miles Bridges, which was rather surprising.

Here’s what he had to say about Sparty’s superstar:

"Is he a tweener? I don’t care, especially in today’s positionless NBA, and especially with Bridges’ off-the-charts athleticism. Bridges averaged 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Spartans as a freshman and ought to be even better next season for a team that could win it all. Will he be a superstar at the next level? I don’t think so. I see him as being that hyper-athletic energy guy who outworks everyone else on the floor and flat-out competes — in other words, a winner. Attitude + athleticism? Yes, please."

There’s plenty of questions surrounding all of these prospects for the Bulls, but the good thing for them is that getting a high draft pick seems all but inevitable.