Rather than tearing down the roster this summer, the Chicago Bulls decided to aim for improvement in hopes of raising the ceiling of their squad. They could have entered a rebuild, but since they were in the midst of one just two years ago, they want to continue pushing for the playoffs.
But while they are looking to add win-now talent, the Bulls should also be looking to plan for the future, as their current group isn’t a title contender. Adding young talent to the current roster should be a top priority for Chicago, but they don’t currently have a ton of youth on board.
In a recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report noted that the Bulls have a “shortage” of promising young talent when discussing Julian Phillips‘ place on the list of Chicago’s top three prospects.
“Phillips wouldn’t crack most teams’ prospect rankings right, but Chicago’s shortage of high-end youth gave him an opening,” Buckley wrote. “He seems ready to defend NBA wings right now, but he might have the Bulls playing four-on-five at the other end, as he needs serious seasoning with his handle and jumper.”
Phillips is a fine player, and he has some potential, but for a second-round pick to be in the top three of a team’s most promising prospects isn’t ideal, especially when said team isn’t a championship contender.
Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry ranked first and second on the list, but outside of them and Phillips, Chicago doesn’t have much young talent on the roster.
