The Chicago Bulls have made another significant step on their rebuild when they selected two young, promising players in the 2019 NBA Draft. They used the seventh overall pick to get Coby White and the 38th pick to nab Daniel Gafford.
Bulls head coach Jim Boylen recently talked about their reasons for drafting White and Gafford, noting that the team was focused on getting quick, athletic and versatile players.
Jim Boylen on draft picks: "We talked about positional size a lot. We talked about speed and athleticism. Those are things we thought we needed."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) June 24, 2019
Moreover, Boylen also said the Bulls needed guys who are willing to be coached and guys who value teamwork.
Jim Boylen: "We drafted these guys because of their ability to be coached, be teachable. Want to get better. Care for their teammates. Those are the kind of guys we targeted."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) June 24, 2019
White will definitely check some of the boxes on Jim Boylen's list, as he's an athletic guard who can score and make his teammates better. In 35 games for the University of North Carolina in the last NCAA season, he averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He's also a reliable outside threat, shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc. He will certainly give Chicago's offense a boost and will make their offense flow smoothly with his playmaking.
As for Gafford, the 6-foot-11, 233-pound big man averaged 16.9 points and 8.7 rebounds for Arkansas last season. He's an excellent rim protector in college, swatting two shots per game. It won't be surprising if he becomes the Bulls' starting center at some point next season, especially if his defense will be carried over to the NBA.
The Bulls believe that they got the right players in the draft, but only time will tell if White and Gafford will meet the team's expectations. For now, Chicago is giving their youngsters the opportunity to shine by being confident in them and what they can do.
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