Chicago Bulls: Bold predictions for Wendell Carter Jr. in 2018-2019
By Ryan Heckman
Rookies often surprise in the NBA. What can we expect from Chicago Bulls big man Wendell Carter Jr. in 2018-2019? Short answer: Big things.
The offseason is slowly coming to a close for the Chicago Bulls, and it is about time we start thinking about preseason basketball coming up in about a month and a half. The Bulls went out and made a few key moves over the summer that, believe it or not, might have put them in position to fight for a playoff spot in 2018-2019.
One of the biggest additions made was via the 2018 NBA Draft when the Bulls selected Wendell Carter Jr. with the no. 7 overall pick. Coming out of Duke, Carter was known to be one of the safer picks in this year’s draft class. His offensive game was sound, as well as his defensive game.
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Nothing stood out to be particularly elite about his game, but Carter was said to be a guy who could come into the NBA and have a nice, long career. Whether or not that would be as a top center in the game remained to be seen, but I think we have already seen enough of him to understand he’s going to be more than simply “good.”
Many fans wanted Michael Porter Jr. out of Missouri, but when he continued to slide, I think the majority of those fans began to come around to the idea of Carter. After all, it’s about time the Bulls have some consistency in the draft. Landing a “sure thing,” whether or not Carter will be a superstar, was a big deal.
Just how good could Carter be as a rookie, though? Well, in my eyes, he is in a great position to come out of the gates swinging. He very well could end up being the best rookie big man this season. That may be bold, but so are the following predictions for Carter’s rookie campaign.