2018 NBA Mock Draft: What if Memphis wins the lottery?
Villanova. Mikal Bridges. 7. player. 24. . G/F
This one, like the Kings pick, seems almost preordained. There is no team in the league hungrier for wing talent than Chicago, who relied on Justin Holiday as its leading scorer for much of the season and actually let Denzel Valentine shoot 370 (!!!) tilt-a-whirl 3s per game. Bridges would rehaul their wing rotation immediately.
It’s not exactly the shoot-for-the-moon pick that would win over the hearts of fans, but it would significantly help the team. Most significantly, it might affect the Bulls’ ability to properly tank next year, with a seemingly ready-made NBA contributor entering the system so early on in the rebuild. However, with Zach LaVine already 23 years old and Kris Dunn 24, plus another first-rounder on the way this year, Chicago could be on its way to competitiveness more quickly than we think.
Bridges would be to Chicago what Justin Jackson was to Sacramento this season — solid. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bridges was regularly earning 30-plus minutes this season before the calendar flipped to 2019. He will come in and feel comfortable shooting and defending players of all sizes. The Bulls had no one like that last year.