Chicago Bulls: Intriguing draft lottery outcomes, potential picks and trades
By Ryan Heckman
What if the Bulls secured the 3rd overall pick in the draft?
The Bulls do indeed have a decent shot at landing a top-3 pick. With odds set at 18.3 percent, Chicago’s most likely scenario here would be, of course, getting the third overall pick. A top-2 pick would be a dream, but let’s just say the Bulls bring home the third pick in the draft.
Then, what?
Top 3 odds for lottery teams:#Suns - 64.2%#Grizzlies - 55.8%#Hawks - 42.6%#Mavs - 42.6%#Magic - 29.1%#Kings - 18.3%#Bulls - 18.3%#Cavs (via Nets) - 9.9%#Knicks - 6.1%#Sixers or #Celtics (via Lakers) - 4.0%#Hornets - 2.9%#Pistons - 2.5%#Clippers - 2.2%#Nuggets - 1.8%
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) April 12, 2018
Mohamed Bamba, the aggressive center out of Texas, is projected as a top-6 pick right now by most experts. Would he be deserving of the third overall pick? Well, in the Bulls’ mind, he certainly could be. He might even be a safer pick than Porter Jr., with injury concerns surrounding the latter.
Bamba would come in and immediately give the Bulls a force to be reckoned with at center. The 6-foot-11 (some list him at an even 7-feet) Texas alum boasts a ridiculous 7-foot-9 wingspan — some outlets have it pegged as high as 8-feet.
In college, nobody messed with Bamba in the paint. He averaged 3.7 blocks per game in 30.2 minutes played. Throw in a double-double every night with 12.9 points and 10.5 rebounds, and you’ve got yourself one scary threat down low.
One of the knocks on Bamba is his weight. Listed at just 225 pounds, Bamba would have some work to do in terms of filling out his frame. But, his defensive presence and rebounding ability is second to none in this draft class. Offensively, he will have some polishing to do, without a doubt.
But, to have a guy who could be All-NBA Defensive Honors in a hurry would be a luxury well-worth selecting.