It shouldn't come as a surprise, and it probably doesn't, but the Chicago Bulls didn't make the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament on the shoulders of a stellar defense. The front office needs to fix that terrible deficiency as soon as possible, and it could start by drafting South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles.
Chicago finished the regular season sixth in points per game, but it also finished third in points per game allowed—better than only the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz—and gave up the most points in the paint of any team in the NBA.
The Bulls desperately need to get better on that end, and no one on the current roster is coming to the rescue. Instead, the issue will need to be fixed through free agency or the draft, and given the franchise's recent lack of involvement in the free agent market, it will likely need to come on draft night.
Murray-Boyles, who Bleacher Report draft guru Jonathan Wasserman projects to Chicago with the 12th pick on June 25, could be the perfect tonic.
Collin Murray-Boyles would be step in right direction for Bulls frontcourt
South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles averaged 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as a sophomore playing in what was by far the best conference, the SEC, in college basketball last season.
Given those numbers, one could assume the 20-year-old would be in the mix as a sure-fire top-10 pick in this summer's draft. But teams appear to be getting caught up in what Murray-Boyles isn't and what he can't do rather than what he is and what he can do. It's a draft tale as old as time, and it could work out swimmingly for the Bulls.
The Gamecocks star measured in at just over 6-foot-6 barefoot and 239.2 pounds at the draft combine in Chicago. That size screams a curse word in NBA circles: tweener.
Murray-Boyles also, however, has a nearly 7-1 wingspan and an 8-10.5 standing reach. His wingspan was fifth among all forwards measured at the combine. He has the size and strength to bang with big men in the paint, and his length, defensive instincts, IQ and movement skills make him a plus-plus defender despite his short stature.
That same brawn and footwork allow Murray-Boyles to overpower defenders at the rim on the other end, even those who are taller and lengthier, but what makes him a skeleton key that can unlock an offense is his playmaking ability. He has both the vision and skill to be a team's half-court hub, will set uber-physical screens and is smart enough to switch between his pure strength and soft inside touch when the situation calls for it.
Danny Chau of The Ringer makes an obvious comparison to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green as a shorter but extremely stout defender and playmaker:
"CMB’s brand of versatility may be unorthodox, but his particular gifts and outright motor could give shape to a defense," Chau writes. "Teams have been looking for their own personal Draymonds for more than a decade, and CMB actually has the skill set, not just the chalk outline of one, to make it happen."
The Bulls could use a brawny, smart, physical defender who plays with effort and can guard multiple positions on different areas of the floor. He may not be the ideal fit on offense with playmaking guards like Josh Giddey and Coby White already entrenched in the starting lineup, but more intelligence has never been a bad thing in the NBA, and Chicago could use someone to bully defenders in the post when its guards get locked down on certain possessions.
Murray-Boyles, as Chau notes, is a Swiss-Army knife who would help on both ends of the floor.