Chicago Bulls: Winners and losers on a draft night with upside
By Willie Lutz
Selecting Coby White at seven and Daniel Gafford at 38, the Chicago Bulls stayed put but picked two players with high upside.
Thursday night’s NBA Draft seemed like an important moment for the Chicago Bulls. After the team fired Fred Hoiberg in early December, the team spent a season safely out of playoff contention only to end up with the No. 7 overall pick. However, the team made the best of their picks and end up with an impressive haul on draft night.
Most importantly, the Bulls took their bet on Coby White in what was the third consecutive, and hopefully final, No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft. Ideally, aligning Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., and now White means the franchise finally hit the jackpot; all those sevens in a row have to be good for something, after all. Like Carter and Markkanen, he has a ton of upside and could very well be an awesome player in this league.
While the John Paxson, “there are more than (draft pick number) of players we like in this draft” adage drive some crazy, they ended up with a really good athlete atop the draft.
Last night was generally a win for Bulls fans as a whole. They got an exciting player at the top of the draft that should get even the casual fan excited about their future. Not to mention, an indication that this year’s team will be a whole lot more watchable than the last.
The New Orleans Pelicans are the unmistakable winners of the night, finally getting to make the top prize in this year’s draft a formal member of their team. Zion Williamson joins an exciting young roster in New Orleans, making them one of the most impressive reconstructed clubs heading into next season.
Chicago got a guy who fit the city. White is a hard worker, great personality, and high energy player that’s got a high chance to become beloved within the Chicago sports culture as a whole.
However, not everyone’s a winner on the Chicago Bulls impressive draft night. There are still a few toes stepped on as a result of this year’s draft class.