2022 Draft Prospects Thread :Bulls get 18th pic: Poll added

[Dresden]

I'm starting to have more and more interest in drafting someone who would be eligible to be draft and stashed. No one at 18 should (key word) be cracking our rotation if our intention is to be competitive, and we're healthy.

Nikola Jovic is often mocked in our range, and I've never been too impressed. This tweet however caught my eye:

Read on Twitter

If that doesn't load for you, pretty much points to his stats from U-19 games which were 19, 11, and 11. He dominated against his peers. In the ABA he's playing against adults.

College players get the benefit of playing against others their own age. When Jovic got that chance he looked real real good.

I somewhat disagree that a player we pick at 18 should not be able to crack our rotation. Our bench stunk to high heaven last season. I see no reason why a lot of these players shouldn't get regular playing time next year. Esp. guys like EJ Liddell, who are not one and done's.

I mean, I'd hope we'd address our weak bench through free agency and/or trades.

If someone at 18 earns minutes, sure. But I don't think we should overlook holes on our roster and just trust a rookie to fill them in.

To me, that's what free agency is for. The draft is your opportunity to find an impact player. I don't like a lot of free agent bigs this year, but I bet all of them do more next year than someone drafted at 18.

I'll use Liddell as an example since you brought him up. The future may be bright for Liddell, but for next year - I'd rather have Thad young, Boucher, Blake Griffin, Joe Ingles, Derrick Jones Jr, Kyle Anderson or a slew of others.

Again if Lidell beats out any of those guys for theoretical minutes on this theoretical team, cool. But it wouldn't be my expectation


Back to Jovic. If he were playing in college instead of the ABA - is he putting up 19, 11, and 11 numbers like he did in the U-19's? If so, how high would people have him on their boards?

This is what one draft analyst says about EJ Liddell: "Liddell is the type of player who could help Milwaukee's core — a core highlighted, of course, by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo — theoretically compete for another title next season. He's undersized but effective and ready to contribute."

This is from Gary Parrish at CBS Sports. He's high enough on Liddell that he thinks he can contribute on an nba championship contender next season.

I would HOPE we can fill at least some of the weaknesses on our bench via free agency, but how realistic is that actually? Where is the money going to come from to do that? And how many of those FA's are going to pick CHI over other teams, that may be closer to a title?

[Repeat 3-peat]

Read on Twitter

[ChettheJet]

There are a lot more factors going into who to draft than most experts here have ever heard of. Unless you watched at least half of some kids' college games, you have no clue what kind of player he is. Watching 4 different 30 second YouTube highlights doesn't tell any kind of story. You didn't see what he did at the combine, who he went through the simple drills, or how much he paid attention to those mostly former NBA coaches who were running things. You didn't hear any of the interviews that did at the combine or when they had guys in for individual workouts. When a kid has all of one year of college skipping classes since March you don't even need to bother asking what his major is or the most basic questions about it.

You don't want to even consider that your opinions are about as uniformed as any fan could be. And only slightly less informed than 60% of these website writers and blog hosts. That's why when you get past the top 10 picks there are virtually no mock drafts that get the players on the team listed, they might have heard a lot from self serving sources but they have no clue what is going on in those draft rooms.

Agents have long since begun earning their percentage by pumping up their guys to anybody to everybody who can post a mock draft and is gullible enough to take what they heard from some agent as gospel. These guys aren't going to stop working until post draft trades get their guys where they hope to get them. They're saying their guy is moving up the boards and the guys with the competing agent all have question marks that make teams wary.

[Dresden]

CBS mock has us taking Kessler, BTW. Would that be so bad? There hasn't been much talk about him here, but holy cow, he had over 4 blocks per game last year, and one of the best block %'s (19) in college history. He's not a stiff either- he can move his feet and shows some coordination. His shot does not look bad, although he's a terrible shooter from distance. Interesting pick, and would definitely fill a big need as a rim protector.

[Muzbar]

To interject after reading all this, the point is that is if Eason is doing poorly in interviews, it’s more to do with his attitude or BBIQ than with his verbal skills. That says red flag to me. Skills only take you so far. BB smarts and attitude are even more important.

This.

That is exactly what I was trying get across, it had nothing to do with whether he could put a sentence together.

[GimmeDat]

Unless there's any real red flag character stuff in interviews, I'm still all in on Eason.

Hard to know exactly what it means for him to not have impressed.

[DuckIII]

There are a lot more factors going into who to draft than most experts here have ever heard of. Unless you watched at least half of some kids' college games, you have no clue what kind of player he is. Watching 4 different 30 second YouTube highlights doesn't tell any kind of story. You didn't see what he did at the combine, who he went through the simple drills, or how much he paid attention to those mostly former NBA coaches who were running things. You didn't hear any of the interviews that did at the combine or when they had guys in for individual workouts. When a kid has all of one year of college skipping classes since March you don't even need to bother asking what his major is or the most basic questions about it.

You don't want to even consider that your opinions are about as uniformed as any fan could be. And only slightly less informed than 60% of these website writers and blog hosts. That's why when you get past the top 10 picks there are virtually no mock drafts that get the players on the team listed, they might have heard a lot from self serving sources but they have no clue what is going on in those draft rooms.

Agents have long since begun earning their percentage by pumping up their guys to anybody to everybody who can post a mock draft and is gullible enough to take what they heard from some agent as gospel. These guys aren't going to stop working until post draft trades get their guys where they hope to get them. They're saying their guy is moving up the boards and the guys with the competing agent all have question marks that make teams wary.

Well, duh.

P.S. When you repeatedly say “you” do you mean all of us, or do you mean the rest of us to the exclusion of yourself?

[DuckIII]

CBS mock has us taking Kessler, BTW. Would that be so bad?

No, it would not. We very badly need some of what he offers. He’s on what is frankly a pretty meaty list of guys I’m totally fine with drafting.

[Jvaughn]

So do these Wonderlic tests have questions regarding sports and what to do in current situations attributed to the sport? I'm guessing they probably don't, so not sure about the relevancy as to why that makes him an awesome or awful QB.

Yup, Derrick was um'd and ah'd during postgame interviews, but he knew what to do on a basketball court

That's not how the interviews and psychological test are done. Since you brought up Rose, I'll try to convey what the goal is. Rose wasn't the most eloquent speaker, but the interview process was meant to draw out what type of person he was, his motivations, and his understanding of the game.

When the Bulls were leaning towards drafting Beasley #1, they brought in both he and Rose for interviews. This was how that went:

During the session with Beasley, there were a couple occasions in which (one of) his (two) cell phones went off. Believe it or not, he answered the calls!

New head coach Vinny Del Negro advised him that he was meeting with the owner and that, at that time, there couldn’t be too many things more important than listening to what Mr. Reinsdorf had to say and answering whatever questions the people at the meeting had of him. When Reinsdorf posed the question, “What about college basketball bothered you most?” Beasley contemplated for a moment and said, “When you go on the road and the referees make bad calls.”

When it was Rose’s turn in front of the brass, he sat up straight and was totally focused. He had a thorough grasp of the magnitude of the encounter. He put his ego aside. Consider this is a guy who won back-to-back state titles in high school and went 38-2 in his only season in college, dropping the national championship game in overtime. His answer speaks for the kind of guy Derrick Rose is and why he’s destined for (even more) greatness. What was his response to Reinsdorf’s question, “What about college basketball bothered you most?”

“Losing.”

The Bulls said this was what the determining factor for them was. And we see how that worked out.

First of all, I didn't bring up Rose, the poster I quoted did, which you conveniently left out.

Secondly, what you said/quoted was entirely my point. The previous poster brought up how Rose uhhhh and ummmm but was an MVP, my point was that had nothing to do with the combine questioning and clearly he understood the game despite being unable to put a sentence together without sounding super nervous.

I understand why they do these interviews at the combine, the original poster mentioned how they didn't put any stock into the interviews and brought up Jordan's pronunciation issues and Rose's lack of confidence in interviews skills which I questioned the relevancy to the combine interviews.

Not sure why you're taking so much offense to it. Misattributed the original quote. It happens. Chill out.

[Grodoboldo]

CBS mock has us taking Kessler, BTW. Would that be so bad?

No, it would not. We very badly need some of what he offers. He’s on what is frankly a pretty meaty list of guys I’m totally fine with drafting.

Yeah, I'm on the same boat. There are about 8 guys we could realistically draft and I'd be fine with it. Of course that could just mean that I'm a lazy scout who gets carried away by highlight videos, but I'll be optimistic and choose to believe that this draft has good roleplayer depth.

[MrFortune3]

I am hoping we can snag Duren in the draft. Probably not likely but I would love that to be the pick.

[Muzbar]

That's not how the interviews and psychological test are done. Since you brought up Rose, I'll try to convey what the goal is. Rose wasn't the most eloquent speaker, but the interview process was meant to draw out what type of person he was, his motivations, and his understanding of the game.

When the Bulls were leaning towards drafting Beasley #1, they brought in both he and Rose for interviews. This was how that went:



The Bulls said this was what the determining factor for them was. And we see how that worked out.

First of all, I didn't bring up Rose, the poster I quoted did, which you conveniently left out.

Secondly, what you said/quoted was entirely my point. The previous poster brought up how Rose uhhhh and ummmm but was an MVP, my point was that had nothing to do with the combine questioning and clearly he understood the game despite being unable to put a sentence together without sounding super nervous.

I understand why they do these interviews at the combine, the original poster mentioned how they didn't put any stock into the interviews and brought up Jordan's pronunciation issues and Rose's lack of confidence in interviews skills which I questioned the relevancy to the combine interviews.

Not sure why you're taking so much offense to it. Misattributed the original quote. It happens. Chill out.

No offence was taken , weird assumption to make, merely correcting a wrong.

I think it's best I stay off the forum for a while, seems I've ruffled too many feathers.

Hope we get a quality player come draft time.

[Rose2Boozer]

The Bulls need someone off the bench who can create his own shot in the halfcourt. My new favorite prospect, Jalen Williams.

Watch on YouTube

[Jvaughn]

CBS mock has us taking Kessler, BTW. Would that be so bad? There hasn't been much talk about him here, but holy cow, he had over 4 blocks per game last year, and one of the best block %'s (19) in college history. He's not a stiff either- he can move his feet and shows some coordination. His shot does not look bad, although he's a terrible shooter from distance. Interesting pick, and would definitely fill a big need as a rim protector.

IMO it would be pretty bad. He's one of the only players in our range I'd be truly disappointed with drafting. He's not a stiff, but he's definitely not what I'd call athletic. Doesn't stretch the floor at all, and isn't good enough to run any offense at. Not the type of rim runner the NBA caters to either. Definitely a good shot blocker, but does he have the potential to be anything more?

[Dresden]

The Bulls need someone off the bench who can create his own shot in the halfcourt. My new favorite prospect, Jalen Williams.

Watch on YouTube

Phenomenal wingspan for a guard- 7'2.25".

[Andi Obst]

Walker Kessler is not a first round talent for me. He’s not seeing the floor in high leverage situations with that skillset, so what’s the point.

[The Box Office]

To interject after reading all this, the point is that is if Eason is doing poorly in interviews, it’s more to do with his attitude or BBIQ than with his verbal skills. That says red flag to me. Skills only take you so far. BB smarts and attitude are even more important.

? Sounds like speculation and hearsay. It's already extremely odd that this stuff leaks out about Eason, but NOT anyone else.

What is Tari exactly saying in interviews?
How is he viewed "poorly?"
Is he just doing staring contests with the interviewer instead of answering?
Is he purposely crossing his eyes to mess with people?
Is he tapping his fingers in morse code instead actually saying words? This is super impressive by the way.
Is he just insulting people?
Is he giving wrestling style promos indicating a heel turn?
Is he surfing through Instagram and Tik Tok on his phone while ignoring the interviewer?

See? We don't know. These guys leaking this stuff COULD be lying. And no one is going to confirm anything. Was this done to sabotage his value?

[Rose2Boozer]

The Bulls need someone off the bench who can create his own shot in the halfcourt. My new favorite prospect, Jalen Williams.

Watch on YouTube

Phenomenal wingspan for a guard- 7'2.25".

6'6" and can dribble, pass, and shoot
BD would probably play him at the four.

[The Box Office]

John Paxson hit a grand slam by getting Jimmy Butler. Scottie Pippen was the only one, who stated for the entire world, that Jimmy Butler has All Star potential. A lot of people here and on the General Board laughed and dismissed it.

I didn't. I wasn't laughing.

I was a lurker back then and I knew that Jimmy Butler had the tools to become a good player. He was already a tough grinder on defense, a gym rat, and he has handles. The rest of his game on offense will emerge with time.

That's all I knew about him.

I'm seeing a similar baseline with Tari Eason. If we can't get Tari, I gots to move on and check out the guy who AKME selected.

EDIT: I still have Tari Eason as my number 2 pick in this draft. I always did. Nothing changed.

Looking back at the 2011 Draft, my Top 3 re-draft goes like this:
1) Kawhi Leonard
2) Jimmy Butler
3) Klay Thompson

I hope you're right about Eason and he does great things for the Bulls, but after watching tape I'm not getting the hype, yeah he's athletic, but he doesn't blow me away.

But I've rarely been right when it comes to draft choices (although I wanted to stay far away from Dougie and Valentine...).

Out of curiosity, who do you have first?

Tari Eason can be a bust.

That goes for anyone in this draft and in every draft. I just love Tari's foundation. He's elite on perimeter defense and he has handles. He dominates advanced metrics on defense and offense. He's athletic as hell, has long wing span, while rocking the biggest hands in the draft. I also have him in 2nd place in the advanced metrics ranking in this draft class. Very impressive.

I have Chet Holmgren as number one as much as I do NOT want to give Chet the number one position. Chet checks most of my boxes.

- A true 2 way player.
- Has a sweet looking jump shot, but he's streaky and inconsistent
- Chet is the undisputed advanced metrics king in this class on offense and defense. He's number one in almost every defensive advanced stat category in the NCAA.
- Has handles yet he needs to clean it up.
- Underrated passer.

My number 3 is Jabari Smith Jr.

[coldfish]

There are a lot more factors going into who to draft than most experts here have ever heard of. Unless you watched at least half of some kids' college games, you have no clue what kind of player he is. Watching 4 different 30 second YouTube highlights doesn't tell any kind of story. You didn't see what he did at the combine, who he went through the simple drills, or how much he paid attention to those mostly former NBA coaches who were running things. You didn't hear any of the interviews that did at the combine or when they had guys in for individual workouts. When a kid has all of one year of college skipping classes since March you don't even need to bother asking what his major is or the most basic questions about it.

You don't want to even consider that your opinions are about as uniformed as any fan could be. And only slightly less informed than 60% of these website writers and blog hosts. That's why when you get past the top 10 picks there are virtually no mock drafts that get the players on the team listed, they might have heard a lot from self serving sources but they have no clue what is going on in those draft rooms.

Agents have long since begun earning their percentage by pumping up their guys to anybody to everybody who can post a mock draft and is gullible enough to take what they heard from some agent as gospel. These guys aren't going to stop working until post draft trades get their guys where they hope to get them. They're saying their guy is moving up the boards and the guys with the competing agent all have question marks that make teams wary.

Random comments:

- If you actually took the time to watch a game from Patrick Williams' college career, it wasn't hard to figure him out. He played then exactly like he does in the pro's. Its really not hard to figure out who a player is.

- That said, just about no one comes into the league ready to play at a high level. Getting there takes hard work and dedication. Some players don't have the size or athleticism to ever get there (Ryan Arcidiacano) and that can be seen on tape but most players drafted do.

- Given that, its nearly impossible to know what is in a player's heart and head. We have no ability to know how they will react to being millionaires traveling the country playing a sport. Figuring out who a player will be is extraordinarily difficult. The people who do interact with the players struggle to project prospects. When you look at the busts taken throughout draft history, the experts don't have a particularly great track record.

If you want to take shots at people, go ahead. Just be up front and admit that its a really inexact science.