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2020 NBA Mock Draft: Looking to the future after a chaotic 2019 draft

By Brendon Kleen

MIDDLE VILLAGE, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Cole Anthony #3 of Oak Hill Academy handles the ball on offense against La Lumiere in the semifinal of the GEICO High School National Tournament at Christ the King High School on April 05, 2019 in Middle Village, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
MIDDLE VILLAGE, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Cole Anthony #3 of Oak Hill Academy handles the ball on offense against La Lumiere in the semifinal of the GEICO High School National Tournament at Christ the King High School on April 05, 2019 in Middle Village, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN – MAY 17: Deni Avdija, #44 of U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv in action during the EB Adidas Next Generation Tournament game between U18 Zalgiris Kaunas v U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv at Polideportivo Mendizorrotza on May 17, 2019 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/EB via Getty Images)
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN – MAY 17: Deni Avdija, #44 of U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv in action during the EB Adidas Next Generation Tournament game between U18 Zalgiris Kaunas v U18 Maccabi Teddy Tel Aviv at Polideportivo Mendizorrotza on May 17, 2019 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/EB via Getty Images) /

F. Maccabi Tel Aviv. Deni Avdija. 5. player. 24.

Much of how Chicago proceeds will be based upon the impact Wendell Carter Jr. has defensively in his second season. Assuming Carter returns from thumb surgery at full health, the big man will be tasked with anchoring a Bulls defense full of subpar defensive players, most of whom are very young.

Aside from Carter and trade deadline acquisition Otto Porter Jr., the Bulls have built a roster almost entirely made up of one-way players. Their 2019 pick, Coby White, projects as an average defender at best with his short arms and lack of functional athleticism. Their 2017 pick, Lauri Markkanen, looks like one of the worst high-minute defensive players in the NBA right now. Zach LaVine has yet to show he can consistently impact the game defensively. It will be all about Carter and Porter shoring things up, and there’s a finite degree to which those two players can make up for their teammates’ poor awareness.

Avdija doesn’t quite project as a defensive difference-maker on a team full of subpar defenders, considering the questions surrounding his NBA position and his potential as a secondary scorer on offense, but he’s solid.

As Ignacio Risotto put it for The Stepien:

"“(Avdija’s) positioning and his ability to maintain verticality should allow him to be a smart interior help defender at the next level. While he doesn’t have an extremely powerful jump and lacks the optimal measurements for an interior defender, his ability to maintain verticality, his motor and his good hands allow him to really contribute on the rebounding end.”"

Assuming Avdija can make good on his high, quick release as a shooter to really maximize his potential as a secondary offensive creator, it may make Chicago feel comfortable moving on from LaVine sooner and building a more balanced roster.

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