Chicago Bulls: One draft prospect from each Sweet Sixteen team

Virginia Tech: Nickeill Alexander-Walker

Another sophomore with experience off the bench, the Virginia Tech Hokies’ star sophomore Nickeill Alexander-Walker has emerged as a serious NBA draft prospect in his first season starting.

A former McDonald’s All-American, the Canadian guard struggled mightily in his first college season last season. However, Alexander-Walker wisely decided to return to school, which ended up being a beneficial decision, as Alexander-Walker’s draft stock has begun to creep near the lottery level.

A score-first guard, Alexander-Walker does other things very well past his primary scoring ability. Alexander-Walker did an excellent job of taking the reigns of the Hokies’ offense when their senior point guard Justin Robinson went down during Conference Play, and put on display a serious load of potential, as a ball-handling guard with game-changing scoring ability, and improving facilitating skills.

Alexander-Walker led his Hokies to a four seed, despite a rash of injuries and underperforming at times. His impact-making was a big boost for Virginia Tech, who have thrived amidst the rising stardom of Alexander-Walker.

Alexander-Walker might be a bit of a reach for the Bulls, but if they decide to go small, and take a chance on a high-upside player, Alexander-Walker is surely a viable candidate. The Bulls have a way of taking former blue-chip recruits for their high upside in the draft, and Alexander-Walker’s pedigree fits just that.

It doesn’t hurt that Alexander-Walker has improved significantly from last season, which adds on to the potential that he already possessed. The Bulls would love to add a score-first player in the draft, and taking a chance on Alexander-Walker’s potential wouldn’t be too far-fetched.