The Bulls picking Chandler Hutchison at No. 22 was the most unsurprising development of Thursday’s draft. NBADraft.net speculated that the Bulls promised to take Hutchison a month ago, and Hutchison pulled out of the draft combine as a result of said promise.
Whether that rumor is true or not, Hutchison ended up on the Bulls. At 22 years old, he’s one of the older players in the draft and theoretically closer to a finished product. As a senior at Boise State, Hutchison averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, as he played against the 102nd-toughest schedule in college basketball.
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Hutchison wasn’t much of an impact player his freshman and sophomore years but turned it on as a junior and took another big leap as a senior. There’s a glass-half-empty and half-full way of looking at his development. Half-empty, he failed to dominate a weak conference until he had developed a big physical advantage that will be diminished in the NBA. Half-full, he clearly worked extremely hard on his game and that work ethic is one of his best attributes.
Defensive impact
At 6-foot-7 with a reported 7-foot-1 wingspan, Hutchison has the tools to be a solid defender. Boise State played a lot of zone, so it will be difficult to assess exactly how he will translate to the Bulls’ defensive schemes. His reaction times weren’t great as a team defender but he did guard isolations well, finishing in the 51st percentile. As a rebounder, he was a physical contributor that showed some toughness on the floor. Down the line, he might be able to guard up to the four but he will have to add to a slight 197 pound frame in order to do so.
Offensive impact
Hutchison is a well-rounded offensive prospect who can handle, shoot, and pass competently but doesn’t have any truly elite skill.
Hutchison should fit in well with Fred Hoiberg’s preference for transition basketball, and that’s probably his biggest strength right now. He is capable of being a grab-and-go guy and got a big chunk of his offense from running the break hard. He had a nose for getting to the rim or the foul line, and he made some pretty plays in the open floor by utilizing his fantastic agility.
His success will ultimately come down to how good of a spot up shooter he is. His form is a bit unnatural and slow, but he did hit 35 percent of his shots on 224 career attempts. His career 69 percent free throw percentage doesn’t inspire much confidence, and that number has traditionally been more predictive of 3-point success in the NBA.
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His shooting will need to be a threat because he can’t create offense off the dribble unless he is attacking the rim on closeouts. He says he models his game after Paul George, but his isolation game is nowhere near George’s level. Hutchison’s pull-up and midrange game might have been the worst out of all of the wings picked in the draft.
The Bulls didn’t draft Hutchison to be George, so if his shooting does continue to improve and he learns better defensive fundamentals then he should be a useful player. Ultimately, he’s a fine prospect who fits the Bulls’ mold of four-year players with high character. He had solid feedback from scouts.
“He’s another guy who fits in with the way the league is: 3-and-D-type guy,” one NBA scout told The Athletic’s Seth Davis. “He’s come a long way. Can guard multiple positions with length. Not a great athlete, but he’s smooth, he glides. Complete player. Very good rebounder. He gets this unfair label that he’s a laid-back kid because he’s from southern California, but he’s not laid-back. Guys who get that many rebounds can’t be laid-back. Obviously his shooting is the biggest concern. I think he’s got the form and the work ethic.”