2) Chicago Bulls prospects to watch in combine teleconferences: Killian Hayes
There are a lot of looming question marks for the talented, but young and raw, French point guard prospect Killian Hayes with this draft class. This lengthy 6-foot-4 and 215 pound point guard just turned 19 years old two months ago, so he’s one of the younger prospects in this draft class. The learning curve could be pretty steep with Hayes.
Hayes did see somewhat of a breakthrough playing last season with Ratiopharm ULM in the EuroCup circuit. He played in 10 games in EuroCup during the 2019-20 season, where he averaged 12.8 points per game, 6.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Hayes shot a solid 45.5 percent from the field, 39.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Paying attention to some of the shooting drills and athletic measurements and testing numbers for Hayes in the NBA Draft Combine is going to be of the utmost importance for Hayes this year. It won’t just be the Bulls that are watching out for what Hayes could bring to the table and translate to the NBA.
The Bulls should be in contact with Hayes and see if buying into his skill set and tremendous versatility and promise down the road in his NBA career (if he pans out) to at least see if he’s a good fit. They would really be stacking young talent in the backcourt rotation if they pick Hayes in the lottery (along with shooting guard Zach LaVine and White).
It might be good to have an insurance policy in place behind what they have on the current roster.
1) Chicago Bulls prospects to watch in combine teleconferences: LaMelo Ball
Maybe the prospect in this draft class that has the most star potential and one of the most defined skill sets of any guard is the lengthy 6-foot-7 and 185 pound point guard LaMelo Ball. Playing his one year before declaring for the NBA Draft overseas in the NBL (Australia) with the Illawarra Hawks, Ball got a decent level of competition prior to getting injured and arriving back early in the states.
Apparently as of Sep. 28, the Bulls had no contact with LaMelo. But that could all change with the new front office and scouting department personnel getting settled into their new roles. Along with the hiring of former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Donovan to replace former Bulls head coach Donovan, the pieces could finally be in place to make a run at pursuing Ball in this draft.
Ball does have flaws to his game, like a number of other top prospects in this draft class (at least among the guards). He still didn’t shoot well from the field or beyond the arc during his time in the NBL, and his level of effort on defense is a big question mark. Seeing how he tests out in the combine is important, but seeing his buy-in with the Bulls new thoughts and schemes is even more crucial.
If nothing else, the Bulls should at least conduct a few initial interviews/discussions with LaMelo to see how they feel about him as a prospect and a fit with this young core in the fourth year of the rebuild. He’s just too talented and brings too much star potential to the table to completely ignore him throughout the draft scouting process.