Which three prospects should the Chicago Bulls new front office personnel be following and scouting the deepest at the outset of this draft combine process?
The altered version of the process formally known as the 2020 NBA Draft Combine began on Sep. 28. And some of the first reports of who the Chicago Bulls were in contact with up to this point started to surface in the last 24 hours. This will help to generate more buzz again surrounding the plans for the Bulls with their fourth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery.
Come November (if Adam Silver keeps the current planned draft date), the Bulls will get the opportunity to find the piece that helps them take the next step forward heading into the fourth year of the rebuild. It’s too early to tell how the last three first round draft picks will pan out for the Bulls.
What we do know is that this is the first time since 2016 that the Bulls won’t be picking seventh overall in the first round of the draft. And it is the first time since they snagged point guard Derrick Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 draft that they are slotted in the top five.
This is a pick that they can’t really afford to miss on. And making the best use of this fourth overall draft pick doesn’t necessarily mean that Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley keep it. They could trade up or trade down for the right return.
A large part of configuring the final draft plan is having a tight big board and knowing which prospects fit best with this rebuild. Scouting out top prospects participating in this altered version of the NBA Draft Combine is an important step in this process.
Here’s a look into three prospects that are crucial for the Bulls to scout deeper during the NBA Draft Combine teleconferences and interviews that are happening in the coming weeks.
3) Chicago Bulls prospects to watch in combine teleconferences: Isaac Okoro
There are not many better wing prospects in this draft class that the Bulls can scout out beside the former Auburn Tigers 6-foot-6 freshman star small forward Isaac Okoro. At potentially the biggest position of need for the Bulls, Okoro could be a nice fit for this rebuild, and he could learn under veteran small forward Otto Porter Jr. early in his NBA career.
While there are flaws to Okoro’s game that could keep him from falling as a top five pick in this draft, he should not drop any lower than later in the top 10. He’s got too high of a floor, and too much promise as a two-way wing that serves a valuable purpose in the modern NBA, to at least fall out of the top 10.
A few big questions loom for Okoro in the 2020 NBA Draft Combine scouting process. The top one is how he feels about the current state of the Bulls, and how he can potentially mesh with the new front office regime and new head coach Billy Donovan. That needs to be the first question answered if the Bulls are in contact with Okoro.
If the Bulls are going to pick for positional need in this draft lottery, then they should try and knock out two birds with one stone and also see if they can get the best player left on the board too. That’s largely what the Bulls were able to accomplish by picking former North Carolina Tar Heels point guard Coby White with the seventh overall pick in last year’s draft.
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.