NBA Draft: Luka Doncic rises to first in 2018 NBA Redraft

The Chicago Bulls made a draft selection at No. 7 for three consecutive drafts, and unfortunately, none of those three players has turned into a high-end starter. The Bulls have already “given up” on former Duke big man Wendell Carter Jr., sending him to the Orlando Magic as part of their trade for Nikola Vucevic.

The theory of Carter Jr. was a great one. He was a mobile big man prospect who could not only defend the rim but move out in space, and offensively he was going to grow his range out to the 3-point line. That part, at least, has completely failed to develop, as Carter has shot just 24.1 percent from long-range in his three-year career.

The real factor holding Carter back has been injuries, as he has missed double-digit games each of his first three seasons. It’s difficult to grow as a high-end defensive big man when you’re in-and-out of the lineup and playing at less than 100 percent when you are on the court.

Even so, Carter has shown some legitimate flashes of ability, Carter is a strong rebounder at both ends of the court, and he passes well for a big man. As a rookie, he was dynamic as a shot-blocker, and perhaps he can regain some of that early mojo with a full, healthy offseason.

The San Antonio Spurs originally took Lonnie Walker in the 2018 NBA Draft, and while he has shown sparks of on-ball creation he hasn’t been anything special. Carter would benefit greatly from developing in this ecosystem, and the Spurs could rotate him and Jakob Poetl for 48 minutes of strong defensive big man play.