The Boston Celtics just gave Jordan Walsh a three-year, $16 million contract extension with a team option in the final year. It’s a steal of a deal, considering how well Walsh played last year, especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, considering the Chicago Bulls selected Julian Phillips just three picks before Walsh in the 2023 NBA Draft, it’s also a good chance to reflect on just how poorly Chicago has drafted in recent years.
Phillips isn’t even with the Bulls anymore. He was shipped off to the Minnesota Timberwolves this past season in the trade that sent out Ayo Dosunmu. And as of about a month ago, the Wolves decided to decline his team option for the upcoming season, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Meanwhile, Walsh has at least three more years of NBA playing time ahead of him. It just goes to show how rough Chicago’s draft choices have been as of late.
Jordan Walsh is reminder of Bulls' poor draft history
Drafting is hard. And drafting in the second round is even harder. Walsh was the No. 38 pick in 2023, and Phillips was No. 35. Hitting on a prospect in that range is never an easy feat.
But the Celtics managed to do it with Walsh. In fact, teams around the league find a way to hit on prospects in that range every single year. Except the Bulls. The Bulls haven’t done that.
Phillips didn’t pan out. He was a great athlete, but that was pretty much the only part of his game that translated, and that’s not nearly enough to make it at the NBA level.
But the Bulls haven’t just failed to find talent in the second round. Their history of drafting in the first round isn’t exactly great either, especially over the last few years.
Just one year before the Phillips pick, the Bulls selected Dalen Terry with the No. 18 pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. They traded him for Guerschon Yabusele this past year.
Then, just last year, the Bulls finally had a high lottery pick. But they took Noa Essengue. Chicago had the No. 12 pick in a very talented draft class, and they took Essengue.
They could have picked Derik Queen, Carter Bryant, or even Yang Hansen. But no. They took a guy who already looks like he could be on his way out of the league.
Walsh’s contract extension is yet another reminder that hitting in the draft can be very valuable. But the Bulls wouldn’t know what that’s like.
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