Chicago Bulls' 2024 NBA Draft Needs

1. A (Healthy) Defensive-Minded Playmaker

The Bulls guard room is… crowded to say the least, and not necessarily in a good way.

Let’s start with the positives. As we all know, Coby White has undoubtedly been the team's breakout star. After a borderline most-improved season where he took the long-awaited (yet unexpected) step up to high-level volume scorer, the former Tar Heel's 3-year, $36 million deal is looking like the best contract in basketball. 

Stepping up alongside him was Ayo Dosunmu, whose improved shooting and overall feel for the game saw him flourish down the home stretch beside White. Those two form a really strong foundation for any future Bulls backcourt.

Alex Caruso was his usual spectacular self on the defensive end, but, with only one more year left on his deal, and a value that’s almost certainly higher to contending teams than the Bulls, you’d expect him to be traded sooner rather than later. 

From there, you get into some question marks. Lonzo is a total unknown at this point, even though the Chicago brass say he’ll be ready for the start of next year. LaVine had a down year when healthy, and seems to be on his way out. Dalen Terry showed flashes, but he’s still incredibly raw on the offensive end. Finally, free agent signing Jevon Carter had a couple of nice moments, but for the most part wholly underperformed. 

That’s a lot of names, but only two of them seem to be truly nailed down long-term. For such a large group of guards, they’re missing one extremely important attribute. Playmaking. 

The Bulls guards ranked just 27th in the NBA in assist percentage last season and lack a true PG, or at least a true PG that’s stepped on the court within the last two years. Plus, their impact perimeter defenders (Caruso, Terry, Lonzo) are one, probably on the trade block, two, lack the offensive skills to stay on the court consistently, or 3, can’t stay healthy. 

Assuming Lonzo never comes back to full health (or can only fulfill a Jonothan Isaac-level role) Chicago could use their 2024 pick to find a long-term PG who can playmake and defend, letting Coby White focus on what he does best; score the basketball.