16. Chicago Bulls- Jarrett Allen- C- Texas
Despite qualifying for the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls are another middle of the pack team with plenty of offseason question marks. Will Dwyane Wade accept his $23.8 million player option or become a free agent? Is Rajon Rondo the point guard next season? Are Nikola Mirotic and Michael Carter-Williams part of the future or the next former Bulls?
When a team has a plethora of holes to fill they usually just go for the best available player, and I think that is what Chicago will do here.
Why Jarrett Allen?
Jarrett Allen is a traditional big man whose college stats show you some obvious strengths and weaknesses. He showed off by pulling down 3.0 offensive rebounds a game and scoring 13.4 points per game on 56.6% shooting from the field. A takeaway is 56.4% free throw percentage on 4.5 attempts per game. Hack-a-Allen could be coming to the United Center next season.
Allen just turned 19 years old in April, so there is still plenty of time and room for him to grow. He profiles as a similar player to Robin Lopez and that would be a great mentoring relationship the Bulls could foster. That would help both players and the Chicago organization. It is an upside over needs play, but I think it’s a great pick for the Bulls at pick 16.