The Chicago Bulls had an uneventful Draft Lottery, as it went to scratch, and they landed the 11th pick for which they had the greatest odds.
It’s not the worst-case scenario in a draft class with so many unknowns, and the Bulls can still find a talented player who helps one of their biggest weaknesses.
So here are the Bulls’ three biggest offseason needs and the best prospects to address them with the 11th pick.
Point guard: Isaiah Collier
If the Bulls go into next season counting on Lonzo Ball for anything, then they need to have their heads checked.
Even if Ball were healthy, he only has a year left on his deal, so the Bulls need to find a playmaker of the future either way.
Collier is a strong 200+lb. point guard who can get to his spots for his own shot or to set up teammates. He’s going to be a project, as he makes a ton of dumb turnovers and isn’t a great shooter, but he does something the Bulls need, which is attack the lane.
He has a little Jalen Brunson vibe, which is a good thing, as he can get into the paint and finish from weird angles and plays with some swagger. He’d be a nice complement to Coby White and could either play behind Lonzo next season or start depending on Ball’s health.
Collier may not be the most exciting prospect, but many consider him the best point guard in the draft, so if he fell to the Bulls, they’d have to consider him.
But the Bulls have other needs.
Shooting: Dalton Knecht and Rob Dillingham
There is a good chance that neither of these guys will be on the board by the time the Chicago Bulls use their 11th pick, but both would fill a huge need.
The Bulls were just 20th in the league this season in 3-point percentage and 26th in 3-pointers made per game, so they could use a long-range shooter to help open up the court.
Knecht knocked down just under 40 percent of his 6.5 attempts from long range per game and showed in the NCAA Tournament that he has the big game gene. At 6-foot-6, he has good size for a shooting guard and at age 23, he should be able to contribute right away. He’s a classic high floor/low ceiling pick, as his shooting is going to play in the NBA but there are question marks about his defense and athleticism.
Dillingham is unlikely to fall this far, and there are questions around his size (6-foot-2, 170lbs) and his ultimate fit with Coby White, as he is not a true point guard but more of a scoring combo guard who can play on or off the ball.
What Dillingham can do is shoot the 3-ball, as he hit an outstanding 44.4 percent from 3-point range on 4.5 attempts per game in his lone season at Kentucky.
Even though neither of these guys are perfect fits for the Bulls, if one of them falls, they’ll have to consider adding a shooter.
Center: Kyle Filipowski
The Bulls will need a backup if they let Andre Drummond walk in free agency for nothing (great strategy by the way), and Filipowski could step in and play that role right away.
He’d hopefully be ready to take over the starting job when Nikola Vucevic is traded or his contract expires in two more seasons, so Filipowski could benefit both the present and the future.
He fits the profile of a modern big, as he is a 7-footer who plays more like a wing and knocked down 35 percent of his 3-point attempts last season at Duke.
Selecting any center that will be available at 11 (we’ll assume Donovan Clingan and Alex Sarr are long gone) will be a reach for the Bulls, but Filipowski, like Knecht is a high-floor guy who will at least be a serviceable backup center. Try to contain your excitement.
If the Bulls plan on running it back, expect them to choose a player who fills a need and can come in and play right away, either as a bench guy or in the starting five.