At first glance, it doesn’t appear that the Chicago Bulls are in a great position in the 2024 NBA Draft.
With the 11th pick in a draft most scouts have characterized as “weak,” the Bulls' chances of landing an elite talent outside of the top-10 are even lower than normal and it’s a crapshoot under the best of circumstances.
But the perception and uncertainty of this draft could end up working in the Bulls’ favor.
In an unknown draft, a top prospect could fall to the Chicago Bulls
Without any perceived guaranteed star power at the top of the draft, we may see more teams focus on need instead of ceiling.
In a more heralded draft, bad teams like the Hornets and Pistons would likely just take whoever they thought was the best player available, but with less certainty about who those players are, could instead draft players on the same tier who plug needs.
That could lead to one of the better prospects falling, which is what happens in the latest Mock Draft from Bleacher Report.
They have the Bulls selecting Rob Dillingham with the 11th pick, a player who has been routinely mocked inside of the top-10 for months.
He’s considered one of the best guards in this draft, an electric scorer who can get his own shots and is lights out from long range, hitting 44 percent of his 3-point shots at Kentucky.
The teams sitting at 5-10 (Pistons, Hornets, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Grizzlies and Jazz) are not in dire need of a guard assuming San Antonio grabs one with the 4th pick. If Dillingham falls past the Spurs, there is a good chance he’ll be there when the Bulls pick, which would give them options.