We have arrived; the day of the 2021 NBA Draft is here for the Chicago Bulls faithful. And while this could be a rather pedestrian draft night for the Bulls on July 29, it is exciting to see where this front office will take the direction of this franchise next. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley could be looking at a calmer night in this year’s draft than last fall. But that doesn’t mean that there’s still not pressure on the shoulders or Karnisovas and Eversley in this draft.
We could still be looking at a situation where the Bulls make a draft night trade to land a point guard, or another key piece in the building of this roster in the shape that the newer front office and coaching staff want it in.
The lone pick that the Bulls hold in the 2021 draft sits at No. 38 overall in the second round. That’s not much for Karnisovas and the Bulls to work with in this draft to significantly help build out the roster for the future. But it can be a way to add some depth to the bench at a position of need.
But with draft night on tap, it’s a good time to take a look at who the best possible option could be for the Bulls in the 38th spot (or close to it if the team traded up a few spots) at some key position groups. One area where the Bulls need to add depth to the bench is on the wing. Or, if head coach Billy Donovan wants to start forward Patrick Williams at the four from here on out, then a starting wing needs to be found this summer.
Moreover, there could be some decent options out there for the Bulls on the wing this summer, and in this draft class. One option for the Bulls that would be a great find in this draft, especially if the team holds firm at 38, is the former Virginia Cavaliers and Rice Owls junior small forward Trey Murphy III.
Countdown to the 2021 NBA Draft for the Chicago Bulls: UVA SF Trey Murphy III is a top wing target
As one of the more established wing prospects in this draft class, Murphy is an interesting target if he were to fall down the board to the Bulls at No. 38. He could be a nice supplement to the Bulls young wing depth on the bench alongside the former Washington Wizards shooting guard/small forward Troy Brown Jr.
Murphy III is likely to be a late first or early second round pick in this draft. But that would put him in a spot to be a potential target for Chicago at 38 if he started to fall down the board.
What Murphy III could bring to the table for the Bulls is a 6-foot-9 and 210-pound wing that is pretty switchable on both ends of the floor. Murphy III is a decent, but not great athlete, that still has excellent length. His length helps him become a very good defender. And he could fit that three-and-D type of mold on the wing.
Murphy III could develop better court vision and needs to continue to improve as a rebounder. But his on and off-ball movement on both ends of the floor is solid. And he’s a very efficient shooter and effective shot creator from multiple spots on the floor.
Last season with the Cavaliers, Murphy III shot 50.3 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from beyond the arc. And his defensive box plus/minus continued to improve throughout his three years at Rice and Virginia, to post a career best of 2.4 last season.
Among small forwards/wings in this draft class, it’s hard to imagine the Bulls doing much better than Murphy III if he’s available at 38. Other potential options for the Bulls in this spot could be the former Michigan Wolverines forward Isaiah Livers, Iowa Hawkeyes small forward Joe Wieskamp, and/or Stanford Cardinal shooting guard/wing Ziaire Williams. But with how far Williams has moved up draft boards of late, there’s a good chance he’ll be gone by 38.
Unless the Bulls make a big splash trade on draft night, this could be a rather quiet one for the front office. We’ll see what type of strategy Karnisovas and Eversley take with the 38th overall pick, and how it differs from last year’s draft.