Chicago Bulls Countdown to 2021 NBA Draft: Top point guard target

Now less than four days away from the start of the 2021 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls are gearing up for what still promises to be a rather quiet night. At least that’s the way it looks at the moment for executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley.

Last year, the Bulls had a very busy draft night, selecting fourth overall in the lottery. The Bulls picked up the former Florida State Seminoles freshman forward Patrick Williams fourth overall in the 2020 draft. And then, Karnisovas and the Bulls landed the KK Mega Bemax big man Marko Simonovic with the 44th pick in the second round.

But now, all the Bulls hold for draft night 2021 is the 38th overall pick in the second round. Unless the Bulls make moves to get up into the first round of the draft come the night of July 29, the options are going to be pretty limited for this front office.

Since the 2021 draft is now just a few nights away, it is time to focus on who the top options at each position could be for Karnisovas and the Bulls with the resources at hand on July 29. At the point guard position, it looks like a best-case scenario could be finding a way to snag the former Baylor Bears standout two-way junior guard Davion Mitchell.

The reigning National Champion, All-Tournament Team selection, and 2020-21 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, looks like he is likely going to be a first-round draft pick later this week. But there is a chance that Mitchell could slide down far enough for Karnisovas and the Bulls to trade up a few spots and snag him.

Chicago Bulls’ top point guard target for 2021 NBA Draft: Davion Mitchell

Mitchell’s draft stock has slipped up a bit in the past few weeks. Tankathon now ranks Mitchell as the No. 17 prospect in this draft class on their latest big board. If Mitchell does somehow slip that far down the draft board to the point where he’s out of the lottery, then it should be a real consideration for Karnisovas and the Bulls to move up and nab him.

Even if the Bulls don’t buy into Mitchell as their point guard of the future right away, he could fill a plethora of needs for this team and could eventually fill that role. Mitchell has the ceiling to be a starting-caliber point guard in the NBA.

And Mitchell would greatly upgrade the Bulls’ perimeter defense, consistency in shooting the ball from deep, and managing assist-to-turnover ratio. Mitchell is an excellent facilitator that posted an assist-to-turnover ratio nearly at 3-1 during his junior campaign at Baylor. He’s also got excellent court vision that will help improve the motion of the offense altogether.

It’s clear that Mitchell is a lockdown defender that could help make up for any of the defensive lapses of star shooting guard Zach LaVine. He had not registered a defensive box plus/minus lower than 3.5 during his final two seasons with Baylor.

To top it all off, Mitchell shot just shy of 45 percent from beyond the arc last season. His game improved in all regards, and he’s got the physical tools and well-rounded game to make an impact right away at the next level.

There are other point guards for the Bulls to target if AK stays put at 38 including Ayo Dosunmu, Daishen Nix, and Tre Mann, among others. But Mitchell could be a top target if he somehow makes it out of the lottery on draft night in a few days.