Chicago Bulls: Ranking the franchise’s last 10 first-round picks
8. Chandler Hutchinson (22nd overall, 2018)
Thanks to a trade that sent Nikola Mirotic to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Bulls had two first-round picks in the 2018 draft. We’ll get to what the team did with the seventh overall pick in that draft in a bit, but for now, let’s discuss the players Chicago took with the 22nd pick: Boise State forward Chandler Hutchinson.
Looking at some of his college highlights, it’s not hard to see why the Bulls would take a flyer on him; rangy players who can put the ball on the floor and disrupt offenses with their length are hard to come by.
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His 3-point shooting left a lot to be desired, but his form looked decent enough and he made significant strides in that area during his last two years in school (36.5 percent compared to 25.9 in his first two with the Broncos), though his 68.7 percent career collegiate free throw rate kept the door for doubt cracked open.
In the two seasons since the Bulls drafted him, Hutchinson has mostly resembled his freshman and sophomore self. His defense has more or less held up in the NBA thanks to his athleticism and 7’6″ wingspan (0.4 career Defensive Player Impact Plus/Minus [D-PIPM]; 0.1 DBPM this year), but his scattershot 3-point accuracy (29.5 percent through his first two years) and general ineffectiveness on offense have made him a net negative overall (-3.4 Box Plus/Minus [BPM]; -1.4 PIPM).
Despite the pedestrian start, however, Hutchinson’s size and pliability in most lineups still make him a prospect worth the development time.