Chicago Bulls: 3 early options for the fourth pick in the draft

1. Bulls draft options: Obi Toppin, Forward

The draft hype has not died out yet for the former Dayton Flyers breakout star sophomore 6-foot-9 and 220 pound forward Obi Toppin since the end of the 2019-20 college hoops season more than five months ago. It’s a shame that Toppin didn’t get to finish out his final season playing college basketball, since he was one of the best players in the entire country.

During his sophomore campaign with the Dayton hoops program, he received the AP Player of the Year honors, Wooden Award, Naismith Award, and he was a consensus First-Team All-American. He played in 31 games for the Flyers during the 2019-20 season (starting in all of them). Toppin averaged 20.0 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks.

And Toppin shot 63.3 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.2 percent from the free-throw line. That amounted to a sparkling 12.3 box plus/minus rating, .279 win shares per 40 minutes, and a 68.4 true shooting percentage. A lot of the averages and shooting percentages for Toppin highlight a really versatile and valuable forward.

But the limited athletic ceiling for Toppin, older age compared to others at this level of the draft class, and a still developing feel for the game down low, could also limit Toppin’s potential in the first round. The Bulls have to give a look his way since he brings so much offensive versatility all over the floor.