Bulls should look to 2017 NBA Draft for power forward prospects

Taj Gibson may or may not be in a Chicago Bulls uniform soon. Likewise with Cristiano Felicio. The Bulls are going to need help up front. Let’s look at the 2017 draft prospects.

The (Summer League) Chicago Bulls ran over almost all of their opponents on the strength of Denzel Valentine and Jerian Grant‘s offense, along with the rebounding strength of Bobby Portis and Jack Cooley (a former teammate of Grant’s at Notre Dame).

Fred Hoiberg needs to shore up the team’s front court depth with the uncertainty of Taj Gibson getting a contract extension or testing the free agent waters. Cristiano Felicio will be a free agent in the summer and could get more money than the Bulls want to pay him. Only Robin Lopez is the durable cog on the team.

There’s no telling if the Bulls will in fact move Gibson by the Feb. 23 trade deadline. It would probably be the better option for them, instead of just letting him walking to a new franchise for nothing this summer with a big, new contract.

But for the future, Bulls general manager Gar Forman might need a legitimate, wall-setting, defensive rebounding monster at the power forward spot to back up both Felicio and replace Gibson if they move him out.

Let’s look at the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft prospects for a good idea at who could be available to help out up front.

Isaiah Hartenstein

Think of Isaiah Hartenstein as a more athletic Rik Smits, if you are old enough to remember the Indiana Pacers’ Dutch center.

Hartenstein can can shoot from deep and also attack the rim like a wing. He has the handles of a point forward and is aggressive attacking the rim when there are seams in the half-court defense. He’s also built deceptively strong and won’t back down against bigger post-up players.

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The (almost) 7-footer is an active perimeter defender and rebounder that mostly projects to be more of a Kristaps Porzingis in terms of a face-the-basket, stretch forward, more than a traditional bang-body center scoring in the paint.

If he’s available outside of the draft lottery in the first round, the Bulls could possibly steal him as their own Porzingis. The 2017 NBA Draft is deep enough and whatever needs other teams may have, it might be more of playmakers rather than bigs, giving the Bulls plenty of choices.

If Gar Forman looks to steal Hartenstein like he did Nikola Mirotic and gamble more on European players for the Hoiball system, it may work out better for Hoiberg to vary his front court depth.

Robert Williams

Robert Williams is an amazing young big man, who could even break into the lottery if he plays a strong in March’s NCAA Tournament. At 6’9″ and 230 pounds, his reach and low-post smarts are what make him a valuable prospect for NBA teams looking at a power forward who can block shots, play passing lanes well, and scrap for rebounds like a bigger man than he is.

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Among the one-and-done freshman prospects, Williams had a better BPM among other big men such as North Carolina’s Tony Bradley and Duke’s Marques Bolden before entering college, with really good numbers as a defensive rebounder and shot-blocker.

Williams looks a bit like a younger Charles Oakley, but with an advanced offensive skill-set, a high standing reach and hops to catch lobs into the paint. He may fill out as he matures into a bruiser power forward just like the former Bulls player.

If he can score like within Hoiberg’s system and do his job as a glass cleaner to replace Gibson while defending the low post like he does, he’s a keeper.

Jarrett Allen

For a role-playing big whose sole purpose is to rebound and block shots, likely one-and-done stud Jarrett Allen is a solid choice. He will probably be available around the middle-to-late first round.

The Bulls don’t really need more shooters to eat into the minutes of their main scoring core, but they need someone who will play a role like Gibson as a defender to cover the post and rebound.

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Allen projects to be a solid defensive NBA power forward who can still run the floor well and hold his own on offense with his mid-range game out to 12 feet when plays break down.

He’s had a game where he hauled down 19 rebounds against Kansas — one of the best teams in college basketball — picking off caroms in crowded situations under the rim with his length while pounding the paint for 22 points.

In his most recent mock draft, ESPN NBA Draft insider Chad Ford had the Bulls selecting Allen right outside of the draft lottery (where the Bulls are projected to pick).

Moses Kingsley

If the Bulls don’t get Sacramento’s top-10 protected pick in the first round of the NBA draft, it reverts to a second round switch which falls around 40th overall.

That’s enough to net Chicago a guy like Moses Kingsley, a highly-regarded player who was often compared to Nerlens Noel coming out of high school as a touted shot-blocking monster. Coming from Bobby Portis’ school means Kingsley plays full-court defense and that could provide some chemistry in case the Bulls keep Portis for another year.

Kingsley reminds me a little of Tyrus Thomas just because he can swat shots at will in the paint but is a more reserved defensive player than Thomas was. As a freshman, Kingsley may still be rough at the edges, but he looks good enough to fill the role of Gibson next year.

With the exception of Hartenstein, the other forwards are defensive-oriented rebounders who can score as taller and stronger players, but who may translate into the NBA more as defensive role-playing bigs.

They might not match up with the likes of Steven Adams, but they will fill a role on the Chicago Bulls, who will have a big hole in the power forward spot for defensive rebounding and shot-blocking if Gibson is moved.