The Chicago Bulls clearly want to follow this mold, and have had some success in the Thibodeau era. Recent picks Taj Gibson, Omer Asik, and Jimmy Butler have all turned out to be terrific pros. Two more in the pipeline, rookie Marquis Teague and Real Madrid's starting power forward Nikola Mirotic are young guys with great talent.
This season the Bulls own the 20th overall pick and, due to the a managerial error of not matching Houston's offer for Asik, lack a young big man to develop. There are some interesting options for the Bulls to explore, as this is a draft deep in potential rotation players. One luxury of being a further along team like Chicago is that age isn't as big a factor. Some players might scare off lottery teams by being 22 or 23 years old, but the Bulls can afford to take lower-ceiling players who are ready now.
Probably won't be there:
There are three guys who will likely hear their name called early on draft night, but have enough uncertainty surrounding them to make a fall out of the top 20 a slim but real possibility.
Kelly Olynyk (22 years, 7'0", Gonzaga University) is a mobile, long-haired scoring big man with agility and range. Offensively, he was lights out for the Bulldogs, posting a massive PER (36.6). He isn't yet known as a rim protector, but has the athleticism and size to excel in that role. It would be a shock if he slipped too far into the teens, let alone #20.
Gorgui Dieng (?? years, 6'11", Louisville University) wowed the whole country with his strong defensive play in the NCAA tournament. He has amazing length and moves really well. His age is a question, (probably 23 years old) so his lack of skill on offense will scare away lottery teams. He might be a steal though in the mid-late teens.
Rudy Gobert (20 years, 7'1", France) is a long lean athlete who's range as a prospect is nearly as long as his arms. He might not be good enough to play professional basketball in the US, or he might develop into an All Star. A classic project, but someone will gamble on him.
More realistic:
These three players suffer from a Goldilocks problem: we've either seen too much of them, or too little. Each deserves to be a first round pick, and most scenarios have at least one of them available at 20 overall.
Mason Plumlee (23 years, 6'10", Duke University), younger brother of Indiana Pacer benchwarmer Miles, played four solid years for Coach K where he demonstrated good athleticism, a strong basketball IQ, and a reliable mid-range jumper. Not a terrifically exciting player on paper, but a very useful one.
Steven Adams (19 years, 7'0", University of Pittsburgh) has size and youth to spare. He plays hard and has a ton of potential. It is unclear if he will ever build up the skill to be more than an end of the bench guy.
Jeff Withey (23 years, 7'0", Kansas University) is another solid senior from a great program who isn't getting much hype. He figures to be a plus defender and is confident scoring near the basket, a nice combination for Coach Thibs and company to play with.
Dark Horse:
The dropoff is pretty significant after those first six young men. In all likelihood, if all six are off the board the Bulls will take the best player available rather than staunchly stick with picking a big. They may even be able to draft this player with their second round pick (#49 overall).
Lucas Nogueira (20 years, 6'11", Brazil) reminds many of his similarly coiffed countryman Anderson Varejao at this age. Bouncy, energetic, and long, Nogueira has been developing in Spain and could be a steal.
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