1) Best defenders for Chicago Bulls to target in 2020 draft: Onyeka Okongwu
By far the highest projected pick for the 2020 draft on this list that is also a stellar defender is the USC Trojans former five-star recruit and 6-foot-10 and 245 pound freshman big man Onyeka Okongwu. The Chino Hills, CA, native has both the physical tools and the defensive efficiency to back how good of a defender he could be at the next level.
A strong frame, good quickness, and excellent developing fundamentals on the defensive end of the floor will allow Okongwu to thrive one-on-one and in team defense in the NBA. He’s a tremendous rim protector and hits the glass very hard. To prove that, Okongwu excelled in the 28 games he played in (all of which he started).
Okongwu averaged 16.2 points per game, 8.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.7 blocks. And he specifically registered 5.4 defensive rebounds per game, 88.5 defensive rating, 4.9 defensive box plus/minus rating, 2.1 defensive win shares, 18.4 defensive rebounding percentage, 2.3 steal percentage, and whopping 9.8 block percentage.
There were nine individual games last season in which Okongwu registered at least four blocks. There were also a double-digit number of games in which his block percentage was at least in the double digits. The skill set of Okongwu should make his NBA suitors in the 2020 draft very excited about what he can do on the defensive end of the floor.