Chicago Bulls: Notable NBA Draft targets returning to school
Dozens of players that originally declared for the 2019 NBA Draft will no longer be valid for the Chicago Bulls to select in the second round.
The 2019 NBA Draft is just a few weeks away at this point, so the final decisions for prospects deeper down boards for various teams in the league are starting to narrow down. More than 35 former 2019 NBA Draft prospects for a team like the Chicago Bulls decided to return to school for another year within the last two or three weeks.
On May 29 at 11:59 p.m. ET, the deadline to either return to school or stay in the pool for the 2019 NBA Draft arrives. Most of the pivotal decisions for the NBA Draft declaration deadline were already made. This gave the shot for any prospect that ultimately wanted to return to school to refine their game for at least one more season to do so.
You can view the entire list of who’s returning to school and who’s staying in this NBA Draft player pool thanks to Stadium here. The list of player decisions up until the deadline for declarations arrives tonight can be viewed thanks to Sports Illustrated here.
However, since this isn’t the deepest NBA Draft class we’ve ever seen, a host of prospect that might return to school on most year’s decided to see if they could land as second round picks. You never know who could have a meteoric type rise into the early second round or first draft NBA Draft conversation either.
Here’s a look into the players that are returning to the college basketball ranks for at least one more season and foregoing the 2019 NBA Draft and how that could impact the Chicago Bulls:
Nick Richards, Kentucky
One of the earlier announcements that had to surprise fans, for college and the NBA alike, among players foregoing this draft was Kentucky Wildcats rising junior forward Nick Richards. The 6-foot-11 big man only started three games last season and could use a year to work on his stock, though.
Reggie Perry, Mississippi State
Among the most highly touted and talented players to return to college for another year was Mississippi State Bulldogs rising sophomore power forward Reggie Perry. Basketball Insiders ranked the SEC All-Freshman big man Perry as the No. 76 overall prospect in this 2019 NBA Draft class.
Could he have filled a need in the frontcourt rotation for the Chicago Bulls? We’ll have to wait until the 2020 NBA Draft at least to have that question answered.
Killian Tillie, Gonzaga
A star at the college hoops level that needed to return for the Gonzaga Bulldogs for, at a minimum, one more season is rising junior big man Killian Tillie. Playing in just 15 games last season held Tillie back, but he could be a nice second round draft target for the Chicago Bulls in next year’s draft.
Neemias Queta, Utah State
Possibly the mostly well-thought of 2019 NBA Draft prospect that will be returning to school this year is a seven-footer at center. Rising sophomore Utah State Aggies talented center Neemias Queta could be a first round prospect for the 2020 or 2021 NBA Draft with a nice 2019-20 season.
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Jalen Pickett, Siena
As the only guard on this list, the rising sophomore Siena Saints point guard Jalen Pickett is a name to watch for future NBA Draft classes. The 6-foot-4 floor general Pickett fills a future need for the Chicago Bulls and has excellent length and a versatile offensive arsenal that could be a pickup in 2020 or 2021.