Chicago Bulls: How Wendell Carter Jr., Chandler Hutchison help the rebuild

Adding on to their young pieces acquired from the Jimmy Butler trade, the Chicago Bulls are moving in the right direction following the 2018 NBA Draft

I was preparing to slam GarPax and the Chicago Bulls front office following the 2018 NBA Draft but there’s nothing to say; they did a good job. They did absolutely nothing special and played it safe at picks No. 7 and 22, but that’s okay!

Wendell Carter Jr. was most certainly not the most exciting pick available at No. 7, considering the enamoring Michael Porter Jr. was available and the fact that they were in talks to move up to the 4th pick (per Adrian Wojnarowski). But Carter plays a brand of basketball that’s uncommon for most 19-year-old players, let alone bigs, that Bulls fans should be excited for.

Carter was an unselfish star at Duke. As a top 5 recruit in ESPN’s 2017 class, he came into a historical program with some impressive credentials of his own. But once ESPN’s No. 1 recruit, Marvin Bagley III, reclassified and committed in August of 2017 to Duke, It was clear who would be the more relied upon between the two.

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Despite that, Carter flourished playing alongside Bagley, hence the label “unselfish”. It’s rare a top recruit will adjust in the manner that Carter did. In Chicago, Lauri Markkanen is no question the better of the two, but Carter will be a seamless fit alongside him.

Already having to play alongside another ball dominant big at Duke, Wendell Carter Jr. comes to Chicago sliding in perfectly to their frontcourt needs.

The Bulls already have playmakers in Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine. Markkanen will be the primary scorer in the frontcourt. As for Carter, he fits in for his ability to make up for Markkanen’s deficiencies and will help space the floor for his teammates.

At 6-foot-10, 260 pounds, Carter is a physical interior presence with the ability to stretch out to the 3. He also has excellent vision for an off-ball big, and displayed rim protecting ability in college, though that may not be as smooth of a translation to the NBA as his other attributes. Nonetheless, the Bulls are getting a swiss army type of player in Carter.

With the 22nd pick, the Chicago Bulls grabbed Chandler Hutchison, a four-year prospect out of Boise State. This, of course, after being supposedly promised by the Bulls he’d be their guy at 22. Chauncey Billups did compare him to Kyle Kuzma following his selection so there’s that for Bulls fans to use against him if he doesn’t pan out.

Hutchison had nearly a 17 PPG increase from his freshman year to senior year

In all seriousness, Hutchison is a high energy guy who could very well be a steal at 22. He’s long with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and a solid athlete. In terms of his actual play, he runs the floor well in transition, he attacks the basket, chases after rebounds and loose balls, and overall is a very good perimeter defender.

Other things that stood out to me is how quick and fluid he is with the ball in his hand, and that he’s become a willing passer over the years at Boise State. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to see him carving out a role as a potential starter this season, or at least getting significant minutes.

Carter and Hutchison are not projected as franchise players, but they’ll serve as complimentary guys to Dunn, LaVine, and Markkanen. However, their addition to the team certainly pushes the Bulls into the conversation of the best young core in the NBA.

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Overall, playing it safe might’ve been the best move in this year’s draft for the Chicago Bulls. Adding two solid pieces to their young core continues to push them in the right direction, though there’s still a long way to go.