One of the best returning talents in the entire country this season could be one of the most experienced players that the Chicago Bulls could select come next year’s draft. That experienced player is a prodigy of legendary head coach Tom Izzo, with Michigan State Spartans 6-foot-1 point guard Cassius Winston.
Last season, Winston averaged around 18.0 points per game, 7.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals. Those are pretty solid averages across the board.
The Bulls also like to draw their younger talent from Big Ten country to please the fan base. This is where Winston could also have a big draw for the Bulls.
Winston could wind up bringing a very polished two-way skill set to the table when he’s selected likely in the late first or early-to-middle of the second round in the 2020 draft. He’s just got too high of a floor to fall too late in the second round. But the fact that he doesn’t have the highest ceiling in the world and that he’s a senior doesn’t help his draft stock.
Seniors tend to be drafted much later into the NBA than the one-and-done players. Yet, Winston has the national attention required to make that leap into the late lottery or mid-first round pick conversation. He is a good shooter (42.5 percent career from three-point range and 50 percent from the field) and a great distributor and there’s always a place for that in the NBA.