Chicago Bulls: Re-drafting 2017 NBA Draft two-and-a-half years later

4. Bam Adebayo, Center

Team: Phoenix Suns

Original draft slot: 14

The first big man off the board in this 2017 NBA Re-Draft goes to the original final lottery pick from that summer, former Kentucky 6-foot-9 center Bam Adebayo. While Adebayo doesn’t have the length that most would assume makes him a premier rim-protecting center, he is averaging around 1.5 blocks per game and more than 10 rebounds this season.

Replacing the void left by Portland Trail Blazers defensively stout center Hassan Whiteside was the goal for Adebayo this season. But he’s far surpassing the value that he brings to the table with his price tag, compared to the max money that Whiteside now gets from the Trail Blazers.

Adebayo has started in every single one of the 29 games he played in for the Heat so far this season. He’s starring alongside former Bulls wing “Jimmy G. Buckets” with a Heat team that could be a dark horse to make noise in the East come playoff time. He’s also averaging 15.6 points per game, 10.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals in his third year in the NBA.

A third year 22-year-old big man like Bam that has four win shares and a player efficiency rating north of 20 on the season so far shows tremendous breakthroughs. He could be an under-the-radar first-time All-Star selection this season.

Moreover, it is a certainty that the Phoenix Suns would want a do-over with this pick, since they originally picked former Kansas Jayhawks wing Josh Jackson. Adebayo immediately contributes more to a team that needed frontcourt help at the time than the disappointing Jackson.