NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls are currently set to head into the 2023 NBA Draft with empty pockets.
While it’s possible the recent smoke around Zach LaVine leads to a blazing fire of draft picks, the most likely outcome is that the Bulls make it through Thursday night without a selection in the top-58. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll leave the evening without a new player on the roster.
Remember, organizations scoop up undrafted free agents the moment the clock stops ticking. We just saw the Bulls do this with Justin Lewis at the end of the 2022 NBA Draft, who many had as the best available undrafted player. With that in mind, I thought we might as well review some UDFA candidates in the 2023 class and attempt to determine who might be a diamond in the rough.
Let’s jump in!
PS: Shoutout to my friend Isaac Trotter at 247Sports for turning me toward some of the prospects below! Follow him here.
Isaiah Wong
Position: G
Age: 22
Height: 6’3″
School: Miami
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie put Isaiah Wong as his 59th-ranked prospect, while The Ringer’s big board puts him 63rd. In other words, Wong is talented enough to find his way in the late second round, which would make inking him as a UDFA feel all the more intriguing.
Indeed, Wong has the kind of experience and shotmaking ability that contending teams around the NBA would not mind taking a chance on. He played four full seasons for the Miami Hurricanes and was an instrumental part of the team making back-to-back Elite Eight appearances and their first-ever Final Four appearance this season.
He averaged 16.2 points to go along with 3.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game over his 37 appearances this year. While he may not have the facilitating chops that a team like Chicago covets, he did shoot a promising 38.4 percent from behind the arc on 4.3 attempts a night. Not to mention, Wong is a strong ball-handler who sliced and diced his way to the free-throw line for 5.9 attempts per 40 minutes of action.
While there are undoubtedly concerns about the vulnerability of his six-foot-three frame, he is a high-effort player on the defensive end. And that’s about all you can ask for from a guy who lacks some of the physical traits teams favor. Indeed, I wouldn’t have any concerns about Wong putting in the work. I can envision him fitting in rather well with the more uptempo, transition-style basketball head coach Billy Donovan seemingly prefers to play.
With that said, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what his role would be at the next level. He’s likely a cerebral sixth-man scorer, and the Bulls may already have that position locked in for the foreseeable future if Coby White gets a new contract. Still, there is just something about Wong – the ACC Player of the Year – that makes you feel comfortable with the ball being in his hand.
Jordan Miller
Position: G
Age: 23
Height: 6’5″
School: Miami
We might as well throw another Miami starter into the mix. It’s really hard not to like the idea of Jordan Miller. Unlike Wong, he has great positional size in the backcourt and offers up an elite seven-foot wingspan. Playing five years in college and showing improvement almost every year, he’s another one of those players who see the game at a higher level than most just entering the NBA.
While Miller may not be elite in any one category, he sure has a knack for filling up the box score. The Hurricane averaged 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game over his 37 appearances this season. He also shot an adequate 35.2 percent from the field and an outstanding 60.2 percent on his 2-point field goals, per Basketball-Reference.
This might simply be due to recency bias, but it’s hard for me not to look at Miller as a slightly bigger Bruce Brown. He brings an incredible well-roundedness to the court and simply has a knack for making winning plays. Whether it be rebounding better than his size suggests, cutting hard to the rim, or making the right pass at the time, Miller has a feel for the game that should allow him to fill a role on almost any team.
The primary concern would likely be an ability to create his own offense. He likely isn’t the guy you want with the ball in his hands at the shot clock expires. But that’s ok! Every team needs the kind of guys who do not need the ball anywhere near them to make an impact. Miller can be one of those guys.
Unfortunately, If I had to guess, Miller is gone before the No. 58 pick in this year’s draft (aka, the last pick due to some teams forfeiting second-rounders). Vecenie has him 50th on his big board, while The Ringer has him as high as 46. Still, we know teams can reach for project players on draft night, so we can’t totally rule out the idea of him somehow falling out. And, if he did, the Bulls would be lucky to snatch him up.
Jalen Slawson
Position: F
Age: 23
Height: 6’7″
School: Furman
Jalen Slawson is one the primary reasons Furman finished 28-8 on the season and upset the No. 4 seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Somewhat similar to Miller, he’s one of those guys you came to expect to make winning plays. He averaged 15.6 points per game, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. He also shot a highly-efficient 55.6 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from downtown (2.9 3PAs).
Slawson provides an extremely intriguing athletic frame that can fit at either of the forward positions. He projects to be a highly switchable presence on D who has the bounce to be a pretty excellent help-side defender at the rim. With his build and willingness to embrace physicality, it’s not hard to see him immediately contributing on the defensive end in the NBA.
Offensively, Slawson is a great ball-mover and passer. It’s easy to see how he could blend into a free-flowing offense with lots of cutting and off-ball shot-creating. With that said, he’s another guy who likely isn’t going to be creating his own shot off the dribble very much. But he is always a threat to attack closeouts and either finish at a high clip around the rim or force the foul. He could also wreak some havoc in the dunker spot.
While watching his 19-point, 10-rebound performance in the NCAA Tournament, I started to wonder if he could sneak up on teams as a post scorer, as well. Again, Slawson is pretty physical and has the power to back down smaller defenders with his rear end. As long as he can finish over guys, there is some potential there.
If we’re being honest, out of anyone on this list, Slawson would be my desired UDFA grab. I just really like his upside as a winning role player down the road.
Great breakdown from Box And One here …
Oscar Tshiebwe
Position: C
Age: 23
Height: 6’9″
School: Kentucky
If the Chicago Bulls’ front office likes Andre Drummond, they’re bound to like Oscar Tshiebwe. While the parallels aren’t perfect, like Drummond, Tshiebwe has built a reputation centered around elite rebounding. He’s averaged 14.4 rebounds per game during his past two seasons with Kentucky to go along with 16.9 points.
Unfortunately, also like Drummond, Tshiebwe can struggle to impact the game outside of the glass. He doesn’t have a jumper and nobody is praising him on the defensive end. The 23-year-old does at least have a high motor and can use his elite seven-foot-four wingspan to swat some shots, but he doesn’t project to be a starting-caliber center in today’s NBA. The hope would simply be that he can one day provide some consistent energetic minutes off the bench.
Jalen Pickett
Position: G
Age: 23
Height: 6’2″
School: Penn State
A Big Ten alum myself, I watched plenty of Jalen Pickett’s EXCELLENT final year at Penn State. He’s one of those players who just jumps off the screen when you turn a game on, but it’s also not necessarily for the reasons you’d expect!
While Pickett can explode for some big-time bucket-getting performances, what stands out most is the way in which he does it. Not many players in the country can physically manhandle their opponents in the way Pickett does. Yes, he stands just six-foot-two, but you would have guessed he’s somewhere closer to six-foot-six. The guy will back down opponents in the post with ease and nail his fadeaway jumpers. And, if he isn’t putting his back into you, he’ll methodically work his way into the pant with some expert ball-handling.
To be clear, Pickett isn’t some kind of jaw-dropping athlete – at least not in the way we’d normally expect. He is just sneakily strong and impressively crafty. Pickett averaged 17.7 points per game in his fifth and final year in college, with 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists. He also shot a highly-encouraging 38.1 percent from behind the arc. Those rebounding numbers are clearly also indicative of his abnormal strength for a combo guard.
Pickett also demonstrated how he can use his unique style of play to make his teammates better. After drawing attention to the paint, he repeatedly demonstrated an ability to make the right play and find open shooters.
So what’s the problem? Why isn’t Pickett going undrafted in some mocks? Well, as we said, he’s pretty abnormal. I’m not sure teams around the NBA know how he’ll fit in without always having the ball in his hands. Sure, he might be a better rebounder than expected for his size, but can he become a consistent catch-and-shoot threat? Is he quick or agile enough to make a real difference on offense off the ball? What about defensively? Can he stay in front of quicker guards? Is he more of a Jrue Holiday or an Eric Bledsoe?
In case you’re curious, some other UDFA candidates can be found in here …
