2018 NBA Mock Draft: If need were all that mattered

Bridges is the best pure wing in the class, and though he doesn’t bring the upside of Luka Doncic as a playmaker, he will make the Bulls’ life a lot easier this season. At worst, I think Bridges will be a perfectly fine role player, and you could count that as a big need for Chicago, too.

As I highlighted in discussing the No. 22 pick, the Bulls have little to no wing talent on the roster. They could retain David Nwaba, but with Denzel Valentine nearing the last of his chances to prove himself in the NBA and Justin Holiday the only other real contributor, Bridges would be a revelation. He would probably start immediately, especially if the Bulls lock in Zach LaVine on a long term contract and have to game plan around his usual shoddy defense.

Because of Villanova’s ability to free up Bridges for open 3s, only 152 of his 239 total 3-point attempts were from NBA distance, according to The Stepien. And Bridges’ accuracy on those longer shots was five percent worse than his season average. Yet the junior’s shooting indicators are sharp, highlighted by his outrageous volume and great free-throw shooting. He should at least be solid as a shooter in the NBA.

The Bulls really need Bridges on defense, considering they have committed to two defenders they will have likely have to hide against good offenses. Bridges’ presence would allow LaVine to guard the weakest perimeter scorer and Lauri Markkanen to occasionally hide on smaller players.

Those luxuries are only possible with a long, versatile defender like Bridges in tow.