Chauncey Billups praises the Bulls rebuild

Share

During Thursday night's NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls selected Duke's Wendell Carter Jr. at No. 7 and Boise State's Chandler Hutchison at No. 22. The two picks provide Chicago with two players who have a strong possibility of cracking the starting lineup sooner rather than later.

After discussing how Carter's physicality on both ends of the floor reminds him of former Blue Devil and Bull Carlos Boozer, Billups went on to say, "And I just love who took him. I love what they're putting together there. I like their backcourt with Dunn and LaVine. These two big guys, him and Markkanen, are going to play very well together."

Chandler Hutchison is a long and rangy wing. At six-foot-seven-inches, with a seven-foot-one-inch wingspan, it is easy to see how Hutchison has a better chance of developing into a solid two-way small forward than anyone currently on the Bulls roster.

When discussing Hutchison, Billups said, "He reminds me of a guy who was a standout rookie last year, Kyle Kuzma. Very high basketball IQ, handles well for his size. Ability to create his own shot. He’s just a fluid athlete with great size for a wing player. I love his foot work. I think he is going to fit in just well."

“I like what the Bulls have done. They’ve done a great job with their wing and interior positions.”

It is hard to disagree with Billups' assessment. A lineup of Kris Dunn-Zach LaVine-Hutchison-Lauri Markkanen-Carter Jr. is what the Bulls could be working towards. That lineup may not sound crazy at first, but it packs a ton of scoring punch, and Dunn and Carter—and to some degree Hutchison— theoretically have the defensive chops to cover for Markkanen and LaVine. 

And with floor-spacing being of the utmost importance in today's NBA, it is great that the Bulls were able to grab two players who shot over 35 percent from the 3-point line in their college careers. 

During the end of year press conference, John Paxson referenced not wanting to be a draft lottery team next year, stating  "....we didn’t ever want to ever be in this position again and honestly I don’t think we will..." And with a solid collection of young talent now in tow, the Bulls are definitely trending upwards. It is easy to see why Billups and basketball fans everywhere are excited about the direction of the Bulls. 

Contact Us