Believe it or not, the (fake) basketball gods blessed the Chicago Bulls again!
As the season falls apart for the Bulls and attention turns toward the offseason, we are going to run some draft lottery simulations in the lead-up to May 10. The rules are simple: Go to Tankathon, press the sim button twice, and put on your front office hat.
In our first edition, the Bulls jumped all the way up to the No. 3 spot. Fully expecting them to stay put this time around, they shockingly ended up at the top of the totem pole. Am I using up all their lottery luck now? It’s possible, but at least it’s making for some fun content!
Let’s try to decide who the Bulls should go with at No. 1, which is a decision that has become significantly harder in recent weeks.
Current NBA Draft Lottery Order (March 4)
1. Sacramento Kings (14-49)
2. Brooklyn Nets (14-56)
3. Indiana Pacers (15-46)
4. Washington Wizards (16-45)
5. Utah Jazz (18-43)
6. Atlanta Hawks β via Pelicans (19-44)
7. Dallas Mavericks (21-40)
8. Memphis Grizzlies (23-37)
9. Chicago Bulls (25-37)
10. Milwaukee Bucks (26-34)
11. Portland Trail Blazers (29-33)
12. Oklahoma City Thunder β via LA Clippers (29-31)
13. San Antonio Spurs β via Atlanta Hawks (31-31)
14. Charlotte Hornets (31-31)
NBA Draft Lottery Simulation II
1. Chicago Bulls
2. Brooklyn Nets
3. Utah Jazz
4. Indiana Pacers
5. Sacramento Kings
6. Washington Wizards
7. Atlanta Hawks β via Pelicans
8. Dallas Mavericks
9. Memphis Grizzlies
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Portland Trail Blazers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder β via Clippers
13. San Antonio Spurs β via Hawks
14. Charlotte Hornets
The Chicago Bulls Select …
Let’s be frank, Darryn Peterson has not won many people over while suiting up for the Kansas Jayhawks this season. While the guard has certainly shown off the elite two-way skillset that initially moved him to the top of the draft board, the off-court drama has been impossible to ignore.
He has only played in 19 of the team’s 30 games due to a mysterious bout of injuries. The guard has both sat out critical contests and pulled himself from games. On top of that, the Jayhawks have been surprisingly careful with his workload, playing him fewer than 28 minutes a night. No one quite knows what is going on with the guard physically or mentally, and that has been enough for many mock drafts to move him out of the No. 1 spot for the first time this season.
Indeed, the consensus seems to be that BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is now the much safer selection. He has appeared in all 30 games for the Cougars, only looking better and better as the season has gone on. The wing is averaging a ridiculous 24.8 points with 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He’s also shooting a very impressive 52.1 percent on an incredibly high usage rating.
If Dybantsa goes on a tear during the NCAA Tournament, it could become nearly impossible not to side with the recent mocks. But, for now, I’m staying aboard the Peterson Express.
The Bulls aren’t in a position where they should be playing it safe. While Dybantsa would still be an excellent choice, there is a reason that Peterson has been viewed as one of the most tantalizing guard prospects in years. He provides an absolutely electric offensive arsenal, nailing practically every shot in the book. Peterson can drill contested jumpers, drain catch-and-shoot triples, finish acrobatic layups, and reliably convert at the charity stripe.
Despite Peterson playing fewer minutes than expected each night, he is still averaging 19.5 points and 4.2 rebounds on 44.5/38.5/81.3 shooting splits. The innate three-level ability to find the bottom of the net has led to some incredibly lofty comparisons. Anthony Edwards is a common one, as his Devin Booker and …. *gasp* …. Kobe Bryant! For me, I can see the downhill strength of Donovan Mitchell combined with the smooth jumper of Jamal Murray.
Can making these kinds of comps be ridiculous? Absolutely, but they genuinely do not feel outlandish when watching Peterson at his best. He has a remarkably polished skillset for his age.
Even more importantly, Peterson doesn’t only make plays with the ball in his hands. He is an active defender with a solid six-foot-five frame who has forced 1.3 steals per game. The guard is also a willing rebounder, who most recently snagged 10 in the team’s matchup with Arizona State.
In fact, despite that loss for Kansas, this game against the Sun Devils will likely stand out to evaluators. Peterson shot an uncharacteristic 3-18 from the field, but he still grabbed double-digit rebounds, dished four assists, and tallied five steals. He didn’t hang his head when the shots weren’t falling, and that says a lot about a young player.
Peterson makes it look easy. Heck, this has even become a criticism at times, as some have called him out for being uninterested. But this might very well be another reason why the Edwards comparisons feel adequate. Edwards may have always had a vibrant personality, but there was a lot of noise about his larger love for football and his Georgia squad’s lack of success. How silly does that feel now?
At the end of the day, talent is what matters most, especially for a franchise that been in desperate need of a superstar for years. Peterson is the kind of player who could immediately step in and change the trajectory of the franchise.
Also, while fit doesn’t matter when you’re picking No. 1 overall, it’s very easy to envision him filling the gap between Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis. Might Giddey have to play off the ball a tad more? Sure, but he has at least shown progress as a shooter to give us reason to believe that it would go a lot better than it did in OKC. Not to mention, having someone like Giddey already in-house could really help draw out Peterson’s strengths as an off-ball shooter, which is something that has really stood out this season.
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