If you look at the Chicago Bulls’ recent draft history, it’s symbolic of everything that is wrong with the team.
In the last 10 seasons, the Bulls have only had a top-10 pick three times, and have picked mostly in the teens, a reflection of their mediocre run.
They’ve hit on a few of these picks, but most of them play for other teams, a reflection of how poorly the Bulls have managed assets over the course of multiple front-office regimes.
The Bulls did find some good players, but never a real star and it’s reflected in a roster that lacks a true #1 guy.
Chicago didn’t even have a first-round pick in 2023 and you could argue that their best picks were second-rounders like Ayo Dosunmu and Daniel Gafford given their impact on team-friendly contracts.
But the first round has been a string of busts, hopefuls what-could-have-beens. Here are the first-round picks from the last 10 drafts, ranked in order from worst to best.
#10: Chandler Hutchinson, 22nd pick, 2018
Back end of the first-round players are always hit or miss and this one was a miss for the Bulls. Hutchinson played just 79 games for Chicago over parts of three seasons and was traded and out of the league by the time he was 25-years-old.
#9: Dalen Terry, 22nd pick, 2022
Terry hasn’t played big minutes in his two seasons for the Bulls, but he has appeared in 97 games and still has a chance to improve. He’s a longshot to make the rotation right away given the Bulls’ glut of guards, but that could change if Chicago makes trades.
#8: Denzel Valentine, 14th pick, 2016
Valentine played 232 games for the Bulls and did have one good season of 10.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting over 38 percent from 3-point range. Valentine was always a tweener who was too slow to defend guards and too small for forwards, but his career with the Bulls was cut short with an ankle injury that cost him an entire season.
Now is where the rankings start to get contentious.
#7: Doug McDermott, 11th pick, 2014
McDermott ended up being a fine role player for other teams, a 3-point sniper who has shot over 41 percent from long range for his career. He’s still in the league, so McDermott wasn’t a complete flop, but if you factor in what the Bulls traded to get him, there’s an argument he should be last on the list.
The Bulls traded both of their 2014 picks (Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris) plus a future second-round pick to move up and take McDermott, who was never as good as either of those guys. Harris had better seasons and more of them as a role player for the Nuggets and Magic, and Nurkic was a borderline All-Star for years in Portland.
Another tragedy of asset management for the Bulls.
#6: Patrick Williams, 4th pick, 2020
Given he was a top-5 pick and hasn’t improved, it’s difficult to put Williams any higher even though he does have a chance to climb this list in an expanded role next season. A lot of fans would put him higher, as he’s at least shown he’s an NBA rotation player, which one other player in these rankings has not.
But I have to take into account his draft position and the $90 million contract he just signed, which puts him in “pending” category when it comes to value on and off the court.
This is a huge season for Williams, who has to show he can stay healthy and that he has more to his game, especially on the offensive end.
#5: Matas Buzelis, 11th pick, 2024
Buzelis gets here on potential, as I see him as having a higher ceiling than Williams. Buzelis is already better with the ball in his hands and showed he’s not afraid of contact around the rim.
He has yet to log a minute for the Bulls, so this is all based on hype, but he was aggressive in Summer League and looked confident for a rookie. There’s a good chance Buzelis is in the starting lineup before next season is over, and I am betting on his potential over Williams.
When a rookie who hasn’t even played yet has an argument as one of your top five picks over the last decade, that’s not a great sign. You can put Buzelis anywhere you want on this list really, but I am banking not just on his potential but on what I’ve already seen from the guys behind him on the list.
#4: Wendell Carter Jr., 7th pick, 2018
Carter Jr. starts a theme of quality role players who do it for other teams. He's not great, but he's a solid modern big who is going to give you close to a double-double a night, can block shots, and shoot a little.
He was moved as part of the awful Vucevic trade and you could argue the Bulls would be far better off with Carter Jr. right now. He has had some problems staying healthy, but otherwise is a solid role player who is still only 25-years-old.
#3: Bobby Portis, 22nd pick, 2015
Portis was another 22nd pick but this one was a hit, as he had a couple of good seasons for the Bulls before they stupidly traded him away for Otto Porter Jr. who was always hurt.
Portis went on to become one of the best 6th men in the NBA and then last year a full-time starter for the Bucks. He’s a quality 3-and-D role player with a championship ring who is still averaging 14 points and seven rebounds a game while shooting over 40 percent from long range while playing all 82 games.
#2: Coby White, 7th pick, 2019
White has averaged over 14 points per game in his five seasons in Chicago and is still only 24-years-old, so there is room for another leap.
He averaged just under 20 per game last season, finishing 2nd in the Most Improved Player award.
There’s a strong argument that Portis should be here given his accomplishments compared to his draft position, but White gets the nod because he has a chance to be an All-Star next season in an expanded role.
Of course, if White doesn’t improve, or his efficiency tapers off, we may have to re-visit this ranking, so this is another choice based on hope.
#1: Lauri Markkanen, 7th pick, 2017
The fact that Markkanen is here tells you a lot about the Bulls. He’s the only All-Star, which shows you how the Bulls have fared in the draft.
He was part of a questionable trade with the Timberwolves that sent fan-favorite Jimmy Butler out the door in favor of LaVine and Markkanen, questionable trades being the Bulls’ modus operandi.
He underachieved in Chicago because of injuries (stop me if you’ve heard that one before) and was moved in an awful sign-and-trade that was among the Bulls’ worst recent moves.
Markkanen was the total package of failed Bulls’ draft picks and showed the full range of how you can screw something up.
But he’s a good player who has made an All-Star team, It's just too bad he did it for someone else.