2. Bulls draft options: Deni Avdija, Shooting Guard/Small Forward
There’s some that are going to consider the lengthy 6-foot-7 19-year-old shooting guard/small forward Deni Avdija as one of the bona fide top three prospects in this draft class. His raw playmaking offensive skill set makes him a very potent fit in the modern NBA, and that’s really hard to ignore for any team picking at the top of the lottery.
Avdija is going to catch a lot of comparison in parts of his skill set with that of Dallas Mavericks second-year point guard Luka Doncic. But his ceiling won’t be as high out of the gates as Doncic. That shouldn’t stop the Bulls from trying to put Avdija as a piece that could fill their positional wing depth need.
During the 2019-20 season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in EuroLeague, Avdija played in 26 games. But he only averaged just over 14 minutes per game since he’s still in his teenage years. He averaged 10.2 points per 36 minutes, 6.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks. Avdija shot 43.6 percent from the field, 27.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 55.6 percent from the free-throw line. Some of those numbers will really have to improve for him out of the gates in the NBA.
Since the Bulls really could have a seamless fit for Avdija in the rotation alongside the likes of veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr., shooting guard Zach LaVine, and power forward Lauri Markkanen, he should be a serious prospect consideration in this draft. He could be a secondary scorer and facilitator that has the length to contend as a perimeter defender.