Chicago Bulls: No. 2 player selected after Wendell Carter Jr. – Michael Porter Jr.
At the time of the 2018 NBA Draft, Michael Porter Jr. was one of the most debated names on the board. Some saw his time off as a major concern while others saw that time off as nothing more than what would wind up making him a steal of his entire draft class.
The Denver Nuggets felt he was worth the risk and selected him 14th overall. So far, it has paid off massively despite them still not fully unleashing him on the rest of the league. At the time of the draft, many felt he could be the kind of player the Bulls either trade down and select or take at number seven overall.
Would it be considered by most a reach at the time? More than likely. It’s not what a pick is looked at in terms of when they are selected though, it’s all about the long run. The Bulls were having and will continue having a hard time making it to the top of the NBA Draft lottery. That’s why a swing on the potential of Porter Jr. would have made so much sense.
With a team too good to make it to the top of the lottery without luck but also not good enough to develop into a contender, he made so much sense for Chicago. While he didn’t play his rookie year and was limited most of his second year he finally started flashing at the end of that second NBA season.
It started in the NBA bubble and has carried over into the current NBA season. This year in Denver he is averaging 16.7 points per contest on 53.7 shooting from the field. Add in 7.5 rebounds and remind yourself that he is still just 22 years old and you begin to remember why he had so much discussion around his name at the time of the draft. He has all the talent in the world.
One thing noteworthy about the selection of Porter Jr. in the 2018 NBA Draft – Arturas Kanisovas was a part of the Denver Nuggets front office that felt he was worth the risk at 14th overall.