Heading into the 2023 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls were set to be one of the quietest teams around the league. Their first-rounder belonged to the Orlando Magic. They traded one of their seconds in a separate deal, and they had their other second-rounder stripped by the NBA after it was determined they broke tampering rules when signing Lonzo Ball.
However, Chicago was active. It traded into the second round, selecting Tennessee forward Julian Phillips, a 19-year-old defensively sound prospect. After the event, it signed UConn center Adama Sanogo to a two-way contract. The big man won a national championship in his junior (and final) season with the Huskies this past year.
Sanogo will join a center rotation of Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond. While the fit isn’t perfect, Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation thinks Sanogo is a great player for Chicago to take a chance on.
“There are undoubtedly concerns about his ability to help protect the rim,” Schuster wrote. “He does have the benefit of being an extremely strong presence, but that isn’t going to help him necessarily overcome his height deficiencies or lack of raw explosiveness. Still, I think this is a pretty great flyer for the Bulls to take. He’s an extremely unique player who might just have what it takes to carve out a legitimately helpful rotational role down the road.”
At 6 feet, 9 inches, Sanogo is a bit undersized, but his strong frame helps him in the post. If Chicago develops him well, he could end up being a great pick-up.
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