Chicago Bulls Best Draft Classes of the GarPax Era: 2009 NBA Draft
- James Johnson, 16th Overall.
- Taj Gibson, 26th Overall.
We start off with the only draft class on this list that does not have an all-star appearance between any of the players. Instead, the Bulls class of 2009 is made up of two highly regarded veterans that are still in the league today.
Johnson, who just concluded his 11th season in the NBA, didn’t stick around the Bulls organization very long. He was traded after appearing in just 78 games for the organization. That was the first domino in what some may call a journeyman-type career path, but Johnson is more than that.
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Each time he has been on a somewhat competitive team he has emerged as an X-Factor for the group. The 11-year veteran forward has played for eight organizations in his career so far.
The key to this class was not Johnson, though, it was selecting Taj Gibson 26th overall. Gibson took little time to become a fan favorite in Chicago. His numbers didn’t leap off the boxscore and the national media didn’t care much for his role, but he had a key role on some great Bulls teams.
In fact, of the eight seasons Taj played for the Bulls the team appeared in the playoffs six times. Obviously, that also had to do with the players around him, who will be discussed shortly, but Taj was a key part of those Derrick Rose-led teams.
He brought the energy every single night and was instrumental in the team not struggling more as Carloz Boozer became less capable of producing anywhere near what his contract would suggest.
Taj brought the United Center faithful to their feet quite a few times in massive playoff games not too long ago. While those groups didn’t get to make it to the top, they are appreciated in a unique way by the Bulls fan base.
The impact made by Taj Gibson with that group carried the 2009 NBA Draft class into the fifth spot. Though Johnson is a very solid player in the league to this day, this one is all about Gibson and what great value he was.
Over his eight seasons with the organization, Taj Gibson played in 562 regular-season games, the tenth most in franchise history. He also played in 56 playoff games as a member of the Bulls.