How can Bulls take advantage of Timberwolves improving their draft position?

The Chicago Bulls will have a first-round draft pick that falls outside of the lottery for the first time since 2017.

Though they were set to not be in the lottery the moment they clinched a playoff spot, their spot in the first round improved fairly unexpectedly. Since Chicago and the Minnesota Timberwolves finished with the same record (46-36), the NBA did a random drawing to break the tie. Chicago won, securing the 18th pick in the draft. Minnesota fell to No. 19.

The bump in the draft (and late-season slip), puts the Bulls in line to nab one of the coveted stars in a loaded draft. While the lottery is seemingly set in stone, picks 11-30 are a bit of a toss-up.

The Bulls will likely look for a post player to back up Nikola Vucevic, as Tristan Thompson has talked about retiring after this season. Chicago would be smart to look at Arkansas’ Jaylin Williams, Purdue’s Trevion Williams, Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn or Arizona’s Christian Koloko.

What should the Bulls do with the No. 18 overall pick in the NBA Draft?

Each of these options showed that they either have the face-up game to play the inside-out role the Bulls require out of Vucevic or the athleticism to provide interior defense Chicago doesn’t get from Vucevic. Either option is an immediate upgrade from what they get out of Thompson and Tony Bradley.

As the NBA is slowly removing itself from the small-ball era, another dominant run by the Milwaukee Bucks can fully bring the inside-out game back to the forefront of the league. Trevion Williams and Jaylin Williams are viable options for the Bulls if this is to happen. Both are listed at 6-foot-10 and pass well out of the post. They excel in the pick and roll and can hit the outside shot. Jaylin Williams also established himself as a defensive stopper in the SEC, something that the Bulls desperately need.

Cockburn and Koloko are 7-footers who move well on defense and have great footwork. They haven’t shown consistency from the outside, but at their height, they don’t need to be shooting bigs. They would have a similar role of Thompson — setting screens, making layups and playing defense. The difference being that they could actually be shot blockers for the Bulls.

Cockburn and the Williams’ may be available for the Bulls at No. 18. Koloko’s stock rose in the March Madness Tournament, with some analysts having him in the late lottery to the No. 20th pick.

Another option that the Bulls could look at is finding a 3-and-D player in this spot. As of now, the better defenders on the wing decided to return for another college year or haven’t declared, but one of the country’s best defenders will now likely be available.

UCLA’s Jules Bernard declared for the draft Monday, though he noted that he’s retaining his eligibility. Bernard could easily go back to college if he’s not comfortable where he might land leading up to the draft.

Either way, getting that one spot bump gave Chicago a little more flexibility, especially if they’re looking to make a trade to move further up.