Bulls Draft Prospect Target: Cody Williams |
Although most Chicago Sports fans are enjoying baseball and the upcoming football seasons, there are other teams that need to be discussed a bit. One of those teams is the Chicago Bulls, who are getting set for what will be an interesting offseason that could make or break this team's future.
In case you missed it, Lonzo Ball has exercised his player option to remain with the team, as he will be back for the fourth year of his deal. Whether or not fans will see him play in an actual game remains to be seen, but that is one less question that needs to be answered. With that out of the way, the Bulls can now focus on what to do with Demar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, Patrick Williams, and Alex Caruso, as they are either on the trade block or hitting free agency looking for a new deal. It's still being determined if Arturas Karnisovas will bring any of those four back, but if you had to guess, Williams and DeRozan are the most likely to return with Caruso and Lavine on the block. With the NBA playoffs in full swing, not many fans will even think about Bulls basketball until the NBA Draft and free agent period. With that comes the draft lottery, where the Bulls are sitting with the No. 11 pick before the ping-pong balls begin to fall. That gives them just a 9.4 percent chance to move into the top 4 and a 2.0 percent chance into the No. 1 slot. Regardless of what spot they land in, they will have another lottery pick to draw from, which is huge since they didn't have a lottery pick the past few seasons. This gives them a good chance to land a rotational player. As tough as it is to not see this team make the playoffs when you look at that talent, had they done that, this team wouldn't be in the lottery running, so that is one of the positives to take away from the struggling season. The list of players who could fall to the Bulls at No. 11 is quite long, but University of Colorado star Cody Williams is a name that fans should keep tabs on. Anytime you hear the last name Williams associated with the Bulls, it does make fans cringe a bit, as Patrick Williams has been a disaster since the Bulls took him No. 4 overall. However, Cody Williams is the younger brother of Jalen Williams, a budding star for the rising Oklahoma City squad, so expect him to bring a different mindset to this team should the Bulls get him. Cody is a super long and versatile wing who moves well off the ball and has flashed a promising shooting stroke. The Bulls are a team in desperate need of shooters, so hearing that he has a promising shooting stroke is good for this team. He may not be much of a threat to create off the dribble right now, but he’s only 19 years old and could be a fun project piece. He should bring his defensive ability to the table immediately, as he should be able to make an immediate impact defensively. At 6-8 and 190 pounds, Williams has the size and length that you look for in an F/Wing product, but he will need to add some weight at the next level. As a freshman with the Buffaloes this season, Williams put up good numbers, averaging 11.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.6 APG. He did that while shooting 55% from the field and an impressive 41.6% from distance, as he could bring some much-needed three-point shooting to the table for this team. Although multiple mock drafts have Williams falling to the Bulls at 11, he is the one player who could make the biggest jump once more scouts get an up-close look at him. He has premier size at a position that every team covets, and we also know this draft lacks a clear hierarchy. If there was a draft for the Bulls to potentially reach for a player, Williams could be the guy, especially if they feel he will be gone by the time they pick at No. 11.
