We have spent several weeks and many words discussing Bucks draft workouts and the team’s needs heading into next Thursday’s NBA Draft. But what about the teams Milwaukee will compete with most often next season? While the other teams in the Central Division had varying degrees of success and failure last season, all of them have needs to address.
Here is a team-by-team breakdown of what to expect from the other Central Division teams in next week’s amateur draft.
Chicago Bulls
Draft Picks: 28 (from Heat), 30 and 43 (from Jazz)
The reigning Central Division champions finished with the best record in the league last season at 62-20 and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls appeared on course for the NBA Finals until LeBron James used his height, athleticism and lateral quickness, all of which seemed to disappear against the Mavericks, to slow down Derrick Rose and take the series in five games.
After watching shooting guards Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer flounder on the offensive end (the only time either player scored in double figures was Brewer’s 10 points in game five), it is clear the two-guard position is most in need of an upgrade. The team certainly understands this, as evidenced by the rumors that circled around the trade deadline about OJ Mayo heading to the Windy City.
Unfortunately for Chicago, the success of last season means they will have to wait until the end of the first round to make their initial selection. By trading James Johnson to the Raptors, the Bulls acquired the Heat draft pick sent to Toronto for Chris Bosh. As a result, the Bulls have two of the last three selections in the first round.
With picks at the end of the round, it is hard to forecast what players will be available with the expected unpredictability of this year’s draft. Some possible options for the Bulls include high scoring Charles Jenkins of Hofstra, potential packed Josh Selby of Kansas or athletic Travis Leslie of Georgia.
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