Can Chicago Bulls find their own Donovan Mitchell in 2018 NBA Draft?

Could Michael Porter Jr. or another rookie in the 2018 NBA Draft help turn the Chicago Bulls into a surprising playoff team sooner than expected?

How many of you saw Donovan Mitchell, the No. 13 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, leading the Utah Jazz to a win in the Western Conference Semifinals against the NBA-best Houston Rockets before last season started?

You can raise your hand if you want, but I’m going to be inclined to think you’re lying.

And yet here we are. The Jazz, who very few people expected much from coming into this season, just stole homecourt advantage from James Harden and Co. largely on the back of their sensational Rookie of the Year candidate’s electrifying performance.

Now, wouldn’t it be nice if the hometown Chicago Bulls could nab a player capable of that in this year’s draft?

Of course, I should probably preface this by noting that the Jazz did have a team that finished fifth in the Western Conference last year, just as it did in 2018, with even more wins than it had this year (51 versus 48). So their roster was a bit more ready for success than the Bulls’ is.

That said, the Bulls do have significant young talent on their roster now in the form of Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen that could form a potent playoff core. Add one more young star and some veteran bench guys, and this team could find itself back in the Eastern Conference playoffs soon.

Is “soon” next year? Probably not. That said, with a dynamic rookie capable of carrying a team for stretches in tow, perhaps they could make a push no one expects. At the very least, they could at least make Bulls basketball very entertaining to watch.

Let’s take a look at some players the Bulls could draft No. 6 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft that could have a Donovan Mitchell-type effect on their rebuilding process for next season and beyond.