I know a lot of you guys are probably wondering why tf Sheppard is here given his draft pedigree. Well, depending on the publication, his draft stock is pretty much all of the place. I’ve seen him go as high as 3, and I’ve seen him drop as low as 9. Now, me personally, if he were to drop out of the top 5 I’m trading up for him; not exactly sure what that’d cost, but any draft capital lost, *should* be resuscitated in either a Zach Lavine or Alex Caruso trade; or **both** – but we know how AKME get’s down, so whatever. Anyway(s), I find Reed Sheppard to be ***exactly*** what this team needs, and has been missing since Long’s absence: A guard with an elite IQ, able to play on-or-off-ball, with stout defense and elite shooting ability. Now, of course because he is exactly what they need, we won’t get him lol, but that’s why he’s #1.
Now, as far as how the ranking went for everyone else? A bit all over the place, so buckle up:
**#2 Collier:** I went with Collier just because of the upside. And no, when I say upside I don’t mean Patrick Williams’ upside, the type where we didn’t even know who this guy was until he was drafted. Collier both going into the season, as well as during the early parts of the szn was the projected #1 pick. Getting that at 11? Pretty good bet imo.
**#3 Knecht:** Probably the best schematic fit outside of Sheppard? (Projected) Elite Knock down shooter on the wing? Bulls could definitely use that; but he’s a bit older, and is more of a High floor, low ceiling player. Don’t know if drafted a role player is the *best* pick just outside of the top-10, especially when our starting lineup isn’t even the best it could be as is.
**#4 McCain:** Now, McCain, AFAIK is pretty much the guard version of Knecht imo. Likely a role-player in the mold of Immanuel Quickley, Seth Curry, or even rookie szn Coby White, just a slightly beefed up defender. Knecht got the nod just because we’ve already seen him perform in the role that he’s projected to be in, making him more plug-and-play; but McCain is still a solid alternative due to his upside, as well as his age; with him only being a freshman, **3 years(!)** younger than Knecht.
**#5 Williams:** Alright, so, this is purely speculative/vibe based, I’m not going to lie lol. Williams is here for a couple reasons 1.) he seems fairly liked by various draft outlets, and 2.) I literally knew no one else past him lol. On a serious note, Williams is likely the most *boom-or-bust* out of the five imo. While he does have tremendous upside due to a multitude of factors including his age, measurables, and the added benefit of having a brother who similarly fell down the radar in Jalen Williams, I can see why some would be tantalized by him. Though conversely, he probably ends up one of those *”What-If”* draft stories, or someone who kinda just develops into a nice little role player, but not really an *impact* player; similar to current Bull Dalen Terry.
This is literally reactionary initial feel for this crop of prospects now that we know where the bulls are picking, so of course this is subject to change. Depending on the reception I may or may not update this generously, though I doubt it lol. Sheppard will probably always be my **DREAM** pick, so he’ll likely stay at #1, & honestly, I’m pretty confident with Collier at 2, but 3-5 is literally a coin-flip imo
1 Comment
I know a lot of you guys are probably wondering why tf Sheppard is here given his draft pedigree. Well, depending on the publication, his draft stock is pretty much all of the place. I’ve seen him go as high as 3, and I’ve seen him drop as low as 9. Now, me personally, if he were to drop out of the top 5 I’m trading up for him; not exactly sure what that’d cost, but any draft capital lost, *should* be resuscitated in either a Zach Lavine or Alex Caruso trade; or **both** – but we know how AKME get’s down, so whatever. Anyway(s), I find Reed Sheppard to be ***exactly*** what this team needs, and has been missing since Long’s absence: A guard with an elite IQ, able to play on-or-off-ball, with stout defense and elite shooting ability. Now, of course because he is exactly what they need, we won’t get him lol, but that’s why he’s #1.
Now, as far as how the ranking went for everyone else? A bit all over the place, so buckle up:
**#2 Collier:** I went with Collier just because of the upside. And no, when I say upside I don’t mean Patrick Williams’ upside, the type where we didn’t even know who this guy was until he was drafted. Collier both going into the season, as well as during the early parts of the szn was the projected #1 pick. Getting that at 11? Pretty good bet imo.
**#3 Knecht:** Probably the best schematic fit outside of Sheppard? (Projected) Elite Knock down shooter on the wing? Bulls could definitely use that; but he’s a bit older, and is more of a High floor, low ceiling player. Don’t know if drafted a role player is the *best* pick just outside of the top-10, especially when our starting lineup isn’t even the best it could be as is.
**#4 McCain:** Now, McCain, AFAIK is pretty much the guard version of Knecht imo. Likely a role-player in the mold of Immanuel Quickley, Seth Curry, or even rookie szn Coby White, just a slightly beefed up defender. Knecht got the nod just because we’ve already seen him perform in the role that he’s projected to be in, making him more plug-and-play; but McCain is still a solid alternative due to his upside, as well as his age; with him only being a freshman, **3 years(!)** younger than Knecht.
**#5 Williams:** Alright, so, this is purely speculative/vibe based, I’m not going to lie lol. Williams is here for a couple reasons 1.) he seems fairly liked by various draft outlets, and 2.) I literally knew no one else past him lol. On a serious note, Williams is likely the most *boom-or-bust* out of the five imo. While he does have tremendous upside due to a multitude of factors including his age, measurables, and the added benefit of having a brother who similarly fell down the radar in Jalen Williams, I can see why some would be tantalized by him. Though conversely, he probably ends up one of those *”What-If”* draft stories, or someone who kinda just develops into a nice little role player, but not really an *impact* player; similar to current Bull Dalen Terry.
This is literally reactionary initial feel for this crop of prospects now that we know where the bulls are picking, so of course this is subject to change. Depending on the reception I may or may not update this generously, though I doubt it lol. Sheppard will probably always be my **DREAM** pick, so he’ll likely stay at #1, & honestly, I’m pretty confident with Collier at 2, but 3-5 is literally a coin-flip imo