This is uncharted territory for Arturas Karnisovas.
In all his time in the Denver Nuggets front office he never picked higher than No. 7, and did that twice with mixed results.
There was the swing-and-miss on Emmanuel Mudiay in 2015, with redemption coming two years later when they nabbed Jamal Murray in 2017.
But this is also uncharted territory for the entire league. Not only are prospects going under the microscope with limited amounts of film and scouting reports, but the days of getting guys in the building for personal workouts are unlikely with the coronavirus protocols.
That means a virtual combine for the Bulls’ new executive vice president of basketball operations to capture as much information as possible from.
“I’ve said in the past: I like to evaluate players live, 5-on-5, which we had a chance this year in the season that was cut short,’’ Karnisovas said in a Zoom meeting with the media after landing No. 4 in Thursday night’s draft lottery. “Then combine and going through a bunch of interviews. We actually did a lot of Zoom interviews so far. We’ll see what the NBA is going to come up with in terms of virtual combine. There will be a combination of physicals and testing and again video interviews. Just going through the process, I think it’s going to help us to get to the last week before the draft when we’re going to come up with a consensus.
“We spend a ton of time with video and a lot of time interviewing prospects. A consensus is going to arrive. But it will probably be more clear with a week to go before the draft.
“No matter the position, I always scouted live. I always wanted to see a player at least twice during the year. Besides the video, besides the interviewing, besides seeing them in combine and bringing them in for workouts before the draft, I like live scouting. No matter what, you gotta go see them. It’s going to be limited time now because you don’t see them fresh. We haven’t played basketball since March. So it’s going to be a little more difficult.”
What Karnisovas did stress is that his philosophy in picking so high is a simple one: best player available. Needs? Those are for teams lower in the draft to address.
Not that the Bulls don’t have needs.
Point guard play has been sporadic since Derrick Rose was shown the door. Yes, they established a defensive identity under former coach Jim Boylen, but it was also a defensive identity built on smoke and mirrors. The Bulls generated deflections and turnovers in the three-guard attack, but also left the frontcourt exposed, falling short in the rebounding and blocked shots department.
As far as specific positions that they need to strengthen, small forward Otto Porter Jr. will opt in for the final season of his contract, while back-up small forward Chandler Hutchison has spent more time in the training room than on the floor.
There’s a reason that Deni Avdija and Isaac Okoro are both being linked to the Bulls in the mock draft circuit. Both are small forwards — albeit with very different strengths — and each would be penciled in to take Porter’s spot once the 2021-22 season comes around.
“I think you address by selecting the best player available, especially at the [No. 4 spot],’’ Karnisovas said. “I don’t think you address needs at four. You get the best talent. That’s what we’re going to be looking for with the highest upside player. On [draft night] Oct. 16, you’ll see who it’s going to be.’’
