Chicago Bulls: Rookies praise Wendell Carter Jr. in survey

The newest members of the league voted in the annual NBA Rookie Survey. Chicago Bulls’ Wendell Carter Jr. received an unlikely accolade in the survey.

The Chicago Bulls tried their best to tank last season for a top-five pick. The 2018 NBA Draft was stacked with players that could be considered franchise talent. The Bulls couldn’t even tank correctly, thanks in part to an early season hot streak led by Nikola Mirotic. The team ended up trading Mirotic and only got up to the number seven pick in last year’s draft.

The Bulls selected forward Wendell Carter Jr. out of Duke with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. While trading Mirotic to the New Orleans Pelicans did end up getting them another first-round spot in the draft, it was little consolation for not having a coveted pick.

The Bulls may have missed out on players like top pick Deandre Ayton or foreign sensation Luka Doncic, but the other rookies of the NBA feel like Carter may have the most potential of them all. NBA.com writer John Schuhmann recently published the 2018-2019 NBA Rookie Survey, and it’s clear that the new blood of the NBA sees the potential in Carter.

Schuhmann asked rookies who they thought would end up having the best career out of all of them, and Carter won the poll with 13 percent of the vote. New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox finished second in the poll with 10 percent of the vote. Ayton finished third with seven percent of the vote.

Both Carter and Knox impressed this year in the NBA Summer League.  Carter nearly averaged a double-double, putting up an average of 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Knox averaged 21.3 points per game. Both players were named to the NBA Summer League First Team.

Carter’s name showed up in a couple other categories in Schuhmann’s survey. He got some votes in the “Who will be the 2018-2019 Kia Rookie of the Year?” question, which was won by Ayton. Carter also received votes as the potential best defender of the draft class. Memphis Grizzlies guard Jevon Carter ran away with that category with 29 percent of the vote.

One of the biggest points of Carter’s scouting report going into the draft was his high floor. Basically, Carter is seen as more of a can’t-miss prospect than other rookies. This is most likely because of his rebounding prowess on both ends of the court.

Fans expect to see an improved Bulls team at the United Center in the upcoming season. All eyes will be on Carter, as well as rising stars Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn. It will be crucial to see how Carter fits in with his new teammates. The effort to tank last season may not have been successful, but it appears the Bulls still got a quality player in Carter.

It may be tough to predict just how the Bulls will fare next year. LeBron James‘ departure from Cleveland could make the path to the postseason much easier in the Eastern Conference. Will the Bulls sneak into the playoffs? With the young talent on this team, anything could be possible.