The potential for the Chicago Bulls to get it right on the night of the 2021 NBA Draft will be really difficult. All that executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley are working with this summer are a second-round pick, 38th overall.
Last fall, Karnisovas, Eversley, and the Bulls held the fourth overall pick in the draft lottery and the 44th pick in the second round. With the fourth overall pick, Karnisovas and the Bulls selected the former Florida State Seminoles freshman forward Patrick Williams. And the 44th overall pick was used to draft the KK Mega Bemax big man Marko Simonovic.
Will the Bulls use another second-round draft pick to pick up a big man or an international prospect?
The latter of those two became a rather popular option for Karnisovas since he was the Denver Nuggets general manager. But he also has a pretty loaded field by most considerations for drafting in the second round. Having the 38th overall pick isn’t the worst thing for the Bulls in this year’s draft.
In this deep draft class this year, one of the potential options for Karnisovas and the Bulls with the 38th overall pick in the second round could be former Michigan Wolverines 6-foot-7 and 230-pound senior small forward Isaiah Livers. Although he is one of the older prospects in this draft class, especially among the wings, Livers should be a real consideration for the Bulls at No. 38.
Likely to fall off of the board as an early-to-mid second-round draft pick, Livers could fall right into the Bulls’ wheelhouse. Livers is a really solid shooter, especially from deep, has decent court vision, and is a smart off-ball defender.
But what has Livers likely to not go as a first-round pick in this year’s draft is the fact that he’s not one of the better athletes among the small forwards. That presents concerns for what he could do at the next level as a one-on-one defender against some of the more athletic wings/forwards and if he turns the ball over at inopportune times since he’s not the best passer always.
Former Michigan SF Isaiah Livers could fall off the board to the Chicago Bulls
Livers sometimes forces himself into bad situations when he tries to create his own looks. That’s what caused the rather cumbersome 0.9-.08 assist-to-turnover ratio in his college career. But that shouldn’t overshadow the positives in Livers’ skill set.
It is hard to overlook the fact that Livers can be a decent rebounder, excellent shooter, and a smart player off-ball. He does bring a rather unique skill set to the table that would be hard for the Bulls to find out of another wing at this spot in the draft.
Last season at Michigan, Livers shot 45.7 percent from the field, 43.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 87.0 percent from the free-throw line. He also improved as a scorer and shot creator, averaging more than 13 points per game, and posted a career-best six rebounds per game.
Livers is really a prospect that could help to round out the wing/forward rotation for head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls. If Karnisovas wants to go with one of the more proven prospects in this draft class that might be able to get minutes right away, then look no further than Livers.
The night of the 2021 NBA Draft is set for July 29, which gives Karnisovas and the Bulls less than three days now until the festivities begin. The Bulls would need to make moves on draft night to get more than just the 38th overall pick in the second round.