Chicago Bulls: 5 players to watch in 2018 NCAA Tournament

2. Trae Young, Oklahoma

After bouncing back from a subpar rookie campaign with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kris Dunn has firmly entrenched himself as the starting point guard for the Bulls. However, the Bulls have yet to make a decision as to who will play at the backup guard behind Dunn.

Jerian Grant certainly made a case for the job, as he played reasonably well when Dunn was working his way back from an index finger to start the season. Cameron Payne — who recently returned to the lineup after having surgery to repair a broken foot — has played well as of late.

But if neither of these players is able to make the grade, the Bulls may be looking for a game-changer in the draft to fill the backup point guard spot.

Enter Trae Young.

Young has had some games this season where he seemingly hit just about everything he put up. Because of his potential to knock down shots from every spot on the floor, he has already drawn comparisons to two-time MVP Stephen Curry.

During his freshman campaign with Oklahoma, Young posted averages of 27.4 points and 8.7 assists per contest, becoming the second Big 12 player to average over 20 points and five assists per game. On the other side of the narrative, Young can be careless with the basketball, as his 5.2 turnovers per game would indicate.

While he is a decent threat from 3-point range (36.2 percent), his shot selection leaves a lot to be desired at times, which could explain why he is shooting just 42.1 percent overall.

Another area where Young will have to improve is defense. Per NBADraft.net, Young rarely gets into a proper defensive stance and doesn’t put a great effort into guarding the ball. Because of this tendency, opposing guards have very little difficulty getting into the paint against him.

In other words, for all the talent Young possesses from an offensive standpoint, his role could be limited if he isn’t able make the necessary improvements at the other end of the court.