8. Wendell Carter Jr., Chicago Bulls
Wendell Carter Jr. was one of the safer picks in the draft, but that doesn’t mean he comes without upside. Carter is certainly one of the most NBA-ready prospects, and he proved it in Las Vegas by averaging 14.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game on 55.1 percent shooting en route to All-Summer League First Team honors.
This was a terrific first showing for the Chicago Bulls rookie, who was underrated throughout his only collegiate season by virtue of playing next to Marvin Bagley III at Duke. It won’t be long before he’s proving himself as the perfect two-way complement to Lauri Markkanen in the frontcourt.
The problem here is Carter might have to wait a while for his time to come, since Robin Lopez is the likely starter until he’s moved or the last year of his contract runs out. If Carter quickly moves into the starting lineup, however, he could vault a couple of spots up this list as a defensive anchor and potential stretch-5.