Chicago Bulls Draft Recap
By Richard Dominic-Giordano
The Chicago Bulls have been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the course of the last four seasons, amassing a 112-199 record from 2016 to 2020. Bulls fans have been among the most loyal across the league, consistently ranking in the top five in attendance. However, as the losing seasons continued to pile up, they were losing optimism and excitement. This offseason is the first time in recent memory where I can remember the city of Chicago looking forward to the start of the Bulls season in a very long time. A complete change of the guard from front office all the way down to the head coach has fans hoping Chicago can turn back into a contender in the near future.
Patrick Williams enters the NBA after being the 4th overall pick in the draft. (Getty Images)
This draft had many Bulls fans (myself included) looking forward to seeing who the Bulls were going to select with the fourth overall pick. The new Bulls regime decided to go with Florida State small forward Patrick Williams, a surprising pick even to the NBA Draft experts. Williams was the sixth man of the year in his lone season at Florida State, where he averaged 9.2 points and four rebounds per game. The Bulls are clearly looking for someone with a lot of upside, and Williams certainly has that, being 6’8” with an almost seven-foot wingspan. He projects right away as a solid defender in the NBA before even stepping foot on the hardwood. While there is a lot to like about Patrick Williams, I thought the Bulls should have traded down to around the 10th pick, as not many teams early in the lottery were looking to take him. The Bulls could have picked up another first-round pick in the draft to further the improvement of a young team.
Marko Simonovic is expected to be stashed overseas by the Bulls. (Mega Bemax/ABA Liga)
The Bulls also had the 44th pick in the draft, which they used to draft big man Marko Simonovic from Montenegro. Simonovic had been getting quite a bit of NBA attention for the past few seasons because of his mobility and shooting ability. Standing at 6’11”, he has good size for an NBA center, but he possesses all the skills to be a successful big man in the modern NBA. Simonovic recently played for Mega Soccerbet in Serbia where he averaged 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while playing close to 30 minutes per game. Many scouts believe he can learn to stretch his shooting range to the three-point line, making him an effective pick and pop threat in the not too distant future. Simonovic is not expected to join the Bulls this year and will likely need another year or two to develop before coming to Chicago.
When the NBA draft came to a close, there were quite a few players that I was shocked didn’t get their names called on draft night. One of those players was Kansas point guard Devon Dotson, who was one of the best guards in college basketball this past season. Dotson averaged 18.1 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from the three-point range. Dotson has a quick first step and is great at getting to the basket. However, the reason he was not drafted was certainly because of his inconsistency from behind the arc. Dotson shot a respectable 36.2 percent from three as a freshman, so we are going to have to wait and see which Devon Dotson shows up in the NBA. If he can shoot anywhere between 35 to 37 percent from three, he will stick in the NBA. With this being said, I loved the signing of Dotson because it gives the Bulls some more depth and a potential rotation piece. Dotson signed a two-way deal, meaning he will likely be moved between the G-League and the NBA, but I have a good feeling that by the end of the season he will be a contributing piece to the team.
I believe the Bulls draft will turn out to be a success because of the new front office we have in place. Almost all of the fanbase was ready for a change from the top, and once that happened, it feels as though the Bulls have been able to bring a bit of fresh air back into the organization. While the selection of Florida State’s Patrick Williams was a bit high for my liking, I think our other acquisitions of Marko Simonovic and Devon Dotson will prove to be valuable pieces to our roster. There is finally some excitement for the Bulls that has simply not been there in recent seasons. I’m looking forward to seeing all these new pieces blend together when the season tips off in late December.
Richard is a sports writer for La Tonique
