Chicago Bulls: Matthew Hurt a late emerging option at No. 38

A lot of questions will be asked as to what the Chicago Bulls will do on the night of the 2021 NBA Draft. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley had a lot to figure out ahead of draft night, which is roughly 24 hours away at this point.

But the time is about to arrive for the Bulls to execute on any plans leading up to the night of the 2021 draft. Who will the Bulls take and where will the next step of building up this franchise lead?

The lone pick that the Bulls hold at the moment in the 2021 draft lies at 38th overall in the second round. This could be a much quieter draft night for the Bulls this year than it was last. Last year, Karnisovas and the Bulls held the fourth overall pick in the draft lottery and the 44th overall pick in the second round.

There is the option for the Bulls to move up, but it’s hard to see that happening unless it is to also acquire other pieces to help build up the current roster at hand.

An emerging option that the Bulls could consider at No. 38 overall in the second round, to replace potentially a departing big man in Lauri Markkanen, is the former Duke Blue sophomore power forward Matthew Hurt. As a former five-star recruit, Hurt was once hyped up to be a potential lottery pick as soon as the 2020 NBA Draft.

Chances that the Chicago Bulls select PF Matthew Hurt at No. 38?

But that never panned out for him as he got off to a slower start than expected at Duke. Hurt did have a much-improved sophomore campaign, though, that should land him as an early-to-mid second-round pick. That is likely higher than he would’ve gone if he was drafted last fall.

There is a looming need for the Bulls to add depth at the power forward position. And Hurt could replace a lot of what Markkanen brings to the table for head coach Billy Donovan. He’s a good outside shooter, an improving rebounder, and someone that is getting a lot better with his movement and awareness off-ball on both ends of the floor.

Hurt actually was the ACC’s Most Improved Player of the Year and an All-ACC First-Team selection last season. His improvement was clear with some of the hardware he brought home.

Last season, Hurt averaged 18.3 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks. And he shot 55.6 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Where Hurt still needs to improve is his defending on-ball and untimely turnovers. Hurt had an assist-to-turnover ratio last season that almost sat around 1-1. That’s not great. And his defensive box plus/minus actually regressed last season compared to his true freshman campaign.

Nonetheless, Markkanen was never a great defender or tertiary ball-handler for the Bulls. And he’s approaching restricted free agency this summer. If the Bulls are looking for a potential replacement in the rotation, then Hurt can do a lot of what Markkanen did the past few seasons. Granted, the ceiling for Markkanen is higher than Hurt.

In what will likely be a rather pedestrian draft night for the Bulls on July 29, it is still worth watching who Karnisovas picks up in the second round. Last year, the Bulls selected the KK Mega Bemax big man Marko Simonovic 44th overall in the second round.