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5 wings the Bulls could consider taking in the 2022 Draft

If a team is going to have a shot in the NBA these days, well, they're going to need a shot. One from about 22 feet or 23 feet nine inches, the three-point distance.

And someone—or several—to make them. Which has to be a priority for the Bulls this offseason starting with the NBA Draft June 23 in Brooklyn. The scouting has gone on all winter and continues extensively this week at the Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena near McCormick Place.

The latter location was where the NBA conducted its lottery drawing Tuesday night with the Orlando Magic winning the No. 1 pick followed by Oklahoma City, Houston and Sacramento, the Kings jumping into the top four. Although these things often vary significantly once the mostly teenagers begin playing in the NBA, this is not considered a strong draft with a first tier of four players in some order being: Forward Jabari Smith of Auburn, center Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga, forward Paolo Banchero of Duke and guard Jaden Ivey of Purdue.

The Bulls have the No. 18 selection in the first round and no second round pick.

And while the team can point to various needs and desires for the roster, perhaps the most important is three-point, long distance shooting. It was no secret during the season. But it often was obscured by the brilliant midrange play of DeMar DeRozan, who for perhaps two months produced historic shooting marks.

That tended to camouflage the Bulls being last in the NBA in three-point shooting attempts and 29th in three-pointers made even as the Bulls were in the top five in shooting percentage. The higher percentage was, in part, because of the shooting expertise of Lonzo Ball, who was injured midway through the season, and Zach LaVine.

The Milwaukee Bucks in the five-game first-round Bulls playoff series loss exposed the Bulls' lack of three-point shooting the way the Bucks cut off the inside to thwart DeRozan and LaVine. Then we've watched the NBA playoffs where the outcome of many games often seemed to be decided on who made more three-point shots.

As much as some wish for a return to traditional shooting success, at least the possibility of three-point effectiveness is vital in the NBA. Which was a weakness in the Bulls roster with the lack of pure catch-and-shoot three-point players like Miami's Duncan Robinson and Max Strus or the Clippers' Luke Kennard.

As the Heat has demonstrated, teams can often find those players in free agency outside the draft. But going to the draft would be a start for the Bulls because of the obvious need.

The Bulls have players who shoot threes, like LaVine, Ball and Coby White, though LaVine and White often are more off the dribble and Ball is first a facilitator. The Bulls lack the kind of player who finds space waiting for a pass so he can shoot.

It's not necessarily the so called shooting guard position since the NBA has evolved to basically combine the "two" and "three" positions into a "wing" spot. There are various terms, like 3-and-D for three-point shooting and defense, which is preferable. But for the Bulls, it's mostly the need for a player who can be relied upon to be a consistent, high level three-point scorer.

This is not considered a top draft for shooting guards, which actually could benefit the Bulls with a pick outside the top 14 lottery. Most of the top 10 players are big forwards with perhaps two wing shooters who wouldn't fall as far as No. 18, Bennedict Mathurin of Arizona and Duke's Adrian Griffin Jr., the son of the former Bulls assistant coach and player who now is with Toronto. Beyond those two, it's another of the so called eye-of-the-beholder drafts in which one team might see a player at No. 15 and another the same player at at No. 35. It's not uncommon these days with the draft so young and teams outside the lottery often betting on upside and potential. That's how Ayo Dosunmu fell to the Bulls at No. 38 last season and became a second team all-rookie selection announced Wednesday night.

Here's a look at the shooting guard/wing possibilities for the Bulls with the No. 18 pick in the draft:

1) Ochai Agbaji, Kansas, 6-5, 215.

He could be off the board by then since he's been a highlighted player this season for the national champion. But he's also a senior, and NBA drafters generally don't like upper classmen under the rubric that they thus have "low ceilings" and won't advance much farther. Which would be fine for the Bulls. They could use a more ready-to-play guy. He was a bit up and down last season, but still shot 41 percent on threes as a starring player for the team. He's got good size for an NBA player and would be a coup for the Bulls if he finds his way to them.

2) Malaki Branham, Ohio State, 6-5, 190.

He's another in that range from the end of the lottery to about No. 20. He also shot more than 40 percent from three, so he fits the need. He also is considered an adequate defender who is said to have all the right attributes with long arms and toughness, the latter also a need for the Bulls in a playoff setting. He's a one-and-done, so you can't count on too much too soon. But he's good with spot ups, the team's weakness. There are some shooting guard prospects from the G-league freshman team supposedly ranking high, like Dyson Daniels, Jaden Hardy, MarJon Beauchamp and Jean Montero. Though three-point shooting is not their strength.

3) Max Christie, Michigan State, 6-5, 170.

The local guy from Arlington Heights didn't have great three-point shooting numbers as a freshman this season. But neither did another too skinny college freshman in his day, Reggie Miller. Christie probably isn't another Reggie, but he has a fine shooting stroke, fits the requirement to catch and shoot from distance and impresses many scouts with his NBA potential.

4) Jalen Williams, Santa Clara, 6-6, 235.

Often overlooked playing for a mid-major, he's another who was making 40 percent of his threes. He wasn't highly recruited, but grew substantially during college. He's got more game than just shooting with his impressive size. He's not a great athlete, but competes and is excellent with a catch-and-shoot game.

5) Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 6-5, 215.

He became a much improved three-point shooter to more than 40 percent with a reputation for being a versatile player with strong physical abilities who fits that 3-D type that is so welcome for NBA teams. The recent success of some of these specialist shooters suggests a team can find some in the second round if the Bulls try to purchase a pick or sign someone undrafted with the chance to excel at Summer League. Some interesting shooters to keep an eye on include Illinois' Alfonso Plummer, fifth year Kaiden Rice from Georgetown, six footer Max Abmas of Oral Roberts, 6-5 shooters Kellan Grady from Kentucky, another fifth-year player, and Gabe Brown from Michigan State. And fellow Big 10er Sasha Stefanovic from Purdue.