Chicago Bulls NBA Draft: These prospects needed March Madness
By Ryan Heckman
Point Guard Cassius Winston, Michigan State
Last year, I thought Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston was a guy the Bulls could look at if he entered the 2019 draft. The 6-foot-1 point guard looked like every bit of what the Bulls needed at the position.
His tournament last season was impressive. Winston’s performance helped surge Michigan State all the way to the 2019 Final Four. His best game came against number one seed Duke in the Elite 8, where the Spartans knocked off the Blue Devils 68-67, and Winston scored 20 points to go along with 10 assists and four steals.
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As a whole, his 2019-2020 campaign was a bit down compared to last year, but not by much. Winston was just a little inconsistent in comparison. But, having to go through the death of his brother is a worthy reason for that.
Still, this season Winston averaged 18.6 points, 5.9 assists and 2.5 boards while shooting over 43 percent from three (up from last year). The most significant drop-off came in his assist numbers, where he averaged a career-best 7.5 last season.
Because Winston isn’t projected to be a first-round pick, he could have used March Madness in a big way to prove he still had the attention of NBA teams. For the Bulls, he would have fit perfectly as a scoring point guard who can hit it from deep as well as facilitate. As a backup to Coby White in the future, Winston would be quite the spark plug.
A tournament would have done him good, but now he waits to see if NBA teams remember what he’s truly capable of.