Which players make sense for Chicago Bulls in draft?
The NBA invited 19 players to attend Thursday's draft in Brooklyn, and one guy who won't be there, Croatian guard Mario Hezonja, is expected to be a top-10 selection.
The Bulls have the No. 22 pick. The process is unpredictable, but a good place to start is to cross those 19 players sitting in the green room off the Bulls' list.
Can they get a helpful player at No. 22? History says yes, since the Bulls drafted Jimmy Butler with the 30th pick and landed Taj Gibson at 26.
One obvious trend in the Bulls' draft record is their preference for experienced players. Butler, Gibson, Doug McDermott, Tony Snell, Cameron Bairstow all spent at least three years in college. Nikola Mirotic was 23 when he made the jump to the NBA last season.
The one time they took a college freshman later in the first round, Marquis Teague didn't pan out. That doesn't necessarily rule out the Bulls taking a guy like 18-year-old UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, but he clearly does not fit the profile.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, if a one-and-done player is still available at No. 22, he probably made a poor choice to leave college. Later in the first round, older players are usually the better options.
Also, for a team that expects to be a championship contender, it's tough for a 19-year-old raw talent to earn much playing time. The Bulls have had better luck picking an experienced player who might at least be ready to fill a minor role on the team.
With no glaring needs, the Bulls' draft pick could fall into several categories: a taller point guard to back up Derrick Rose, an extra 3-point shooter, a strong wing defender who might be able to relieve Butler or another big man. Here are some players who make sense:
• Delon Wright, 6-feet-5, PG, Utah: Remember during the Milwaukee series when Tom Thibodeau refused to let Aaron Brooks guard 6-6 Michael Carter-Williams? In theory, Wright could help solve this problem.
An excellent playmaker, Wright set down an impressive stat line as a junior at Utah: 15.5 points, 5.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds, with a .561 field-goal percentage. His numbers dropped as a senior, but he did improve his 3-point shooting.
The Los Angeles native is the younger brother of Portland's Dorrell Wright. He didn't overlap with new Bulls assistant coach Jim Boylen, who was head coach of the Utes until 2011. Wright arrived two years later after a stint at junior college.
• Justin Anderson, 6-6, SF, Virginia: Now that Butler is a 20-point scorer, it might be a good idea to not ask him to guard LeBron James for 46 minutes. Maybe Anderson could be a guy to fill in.
He has been through three years of college, has a chiseled frame and turned in an excellent 43-inch vertical jump at the draft combine. Even better, Anderson made drastic improvements in his shooting form and knocked down 45 percent of his 3-point attempts last season.
• R.J. Hunter, 6-6, SG, Georgia State: If he's still on the board, Hunter might be the best option for a long-range shooter at 22, but there aren't many rookie sharpshooters in the NBA. The Bulls probably will look to fill this role with a veteran, using the midlevel exception.
• Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 6-7, SF, Arizona: He has been invited to the green room, but if Hollis-Jefferson is still around, he might be another option for a strong defender. He didn't jump as high as Anderson at the pre-draft camp, but was one of the fastest players in testing. The downside, he's not much of a shooter.
• Guillermo Hernangomez, Nikola Milutinov: Another way to land an experienced player is to draft someone who can stay in Europe for another two or three years.
These are a couple of 7-footers playing in Spain who might fit the bill. There aren't many big men among college players late in the first round, mostly just freshmen projects and undersized power forwards.
The Bulls don't have a second-round pick this year.
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