Chicago Bulls: 2019 NBA Draft Lottery odds, first round mock
By Ryan Heckman
No. 3 overall: Guard R.J. Barrett, Duke
The Bulls snagging the third overall pick would still make plenty of fans happy, because that means R.J. Barrett is coming to Chicago. Like drafting Williamson, selecting Barrett would present an interesting problem going forward. Luckily, though, I think the solution might be a little easier.
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If the Bulls bring Barrett in, I would most certainly expect Boylen to at least give some thought to sliding Zach LaVine over to point guard while Barrett starts at the shooting guard spot. LaVine has some experience playing point guard over his basketball career, and actually facilitated at a high level this last season. The Bulls were without a legitimate point guard option all year, and when LaVine was on the floor, he became the floor general on many occasions.
Barrett is a larger wing at 6-foot-7 and could play either the two guard or small forward spot. More than likely, though, Otto Porter would stay at small forward while Barrett lines up at the two.
Being a highly athletic wing, Barrett can not only score in a variety of ways, but was an active rebounder for Duke last year. He averaged 22.6 points on 45.4 percent shooting while pulling down 7.6 rebounds per contest as well — remember, that’s while playing next to Zion.
Barrett is also a great distributor, even as a bigger wing, as he averaged over four assists per game last year. He’s a scorer, but he’s a team-first player who does a lot of things well. The Bulls would end up with the third-best player in the class at no. 3 overall.