Chicago Bulls: 5 players to watch in the NCAA Tournament

Jaren Jackson Jr., Power Forward, Michigan State Spartans

One of the things the Bulls could use in a big way is a bit of intensity. The loss of Tom Thibodeau seemed to affect the Bulls in a big way — why the intensity isn’t there on defense with the Timberwolves is also a mystery.

I digress.

Jaren Jackson Jr. out of Michigan State is without a doubt one of the hardest-working, well-rounded big men in this year’s draft class. He can get overlooked at times because his season averages aren’t where some of the bigger names are at, but make no mistake, Jackson is polished.

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/966132909173243904

Jackson averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and a ridiculous 3.2 blocks per game over the course of his 2017-2018 campaign. While other big men messed around with 20-10 averages, Jackson  remained consistent in all areas of his game while playing on a great team as well.

At 6’11”, 242 pounds, Jackson would give Chicago a boost in the front court aside Lauri Markkanen and Bobby Portis. It seems as though Portis might be best served coming off the bench, kind of like their newer version of Taj Gibson in a way. So, Jackson would have a shot to come in and contribute right away.

Spending only one year in college, Jackson’s game looks ready to roll as a pro. He is one of the more NBA-ready prospects in this year’s class. Michigan State’s road to the Final Four begins Friday in Detroit when they take on 14-seed Bucknell at 7:10PM Eastern.

If they make it through, they would play Saturday again against either 6-seed TCU or the winner of the Arizona State vs. Syracuse first-four matchup.