Chicago Bulls: Why picking Sekou Doumbouya at 7 isn’t reaching

Other options

I think it is greatly undervalued the amount of talent that it takes to land a wing that could be a standout at the NBA level. This new generation of star forwards and shooting guards in the NBA today tend to be able to thrive playing and defending any player from one to four on the floor.

That is exactly what Sekou Doumbouya would be able to do for the Chicago Bulls if he pans out. The worry, though, is exactly that he won’t pan out. There is always going to be a high-level of risk that accompanies selecting an international prospect. But that is to be expected. And the Bulls have done well in selecting a player with international roots before in power forward Lauri Markkanen.

Now, we can’t expect Doumbouya to come in and right away thrive like Markkanen was able to do at times during the 2017-18 campaign. But Doumbouya could fall in a similar slotting in this draft class like Markkanen did back in the 2017 NBA Draft.

What are some of the other draft options for the Bulls at No. 7, especially on the wing? The three options that stick out are Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter, Duke’s Cam Reddish, and Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver. If the Bulls look at a point guard, North Carolina’s Coby White is the first name that comes to mind.

Reddish could be the most comparable to Doumbouya in terms of draft profiles. Doumbouya is a high-risk, high-reward young prospect that could have star potential but a pretty low floor.