Arturas Karnisovas knows a little bit about hitting value with second-round draft picks.
The Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations was in the Denver Nuggets front office as an assistant general manager when they grabbed a Serbian big man with the 41st pick of the 2014 draft named Nikola Jokic.
That turned out OK.
Heck, even on his own current coaching staff there’s reminders of second-round gold, as look no further than Mo Cheeks, who was drafted 36th overall and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
That’s why when Karnisovas was discussing the offseason to-do list a few months back, he boldly declared “we still have a second round pick.”
While some organizations treat second-round picks as a blind fold and a dartboard, life outside the first round for Karnisovas is opportunity.
Opportunity to not only showcase his scouting chops, but also a chance to show off the development staff he’s put in place for prospects once they enter the practice facility.
Considering the Bulls don’t have a first-round pick in Thursday’s 2021 NBA Draft thanks to the Nikola Vucevic deal with Orlando, it’s a good time for what Karnisovas has built after one season to again be tested.
In Karnisovas’ first draft with the organization last season, Patrick Williams was the No. 4 overall pick, but in Round 2, he grabbed a then-raw big man from Montenegro with the 44th overall pick, turning Marko Simonovic into a one-year draft-and-stash.
The stash is now over, as Simonovic has been working out at the Advocate Center the last month, and is expected to officially join the roster in August, with the start of the 2021-22 fiscal year.
The early reports on the versatile center are good, and the hope is he can become a rotation player in Year 1, especially with the Bulls possibly thinning out in the frontcourt with Daniel Theis and Cristiano Felicio both unrestricted free agents, and Lauri Markkanen a restricted free agent.
So what could Karnisovas have up his sleeve with the 38th overall pick in Thursday’s draft? The good news is it’s a deep pool to pick from.
Second-round prospects to keep an eye on:
JT Thor – PF – Auburn – The offense is sushi raw, but if Thor slides out of the late first round – a big if, his ridiculous 7-foot-3 1/4 wingspan and his willingness to develop on both sides of the floor would be hard to pass up.
Ayo Dosunmu – SG/PG – Illinois – The Bulls were linked to the Illini product throughout the predraft camp process, as the combo guard is creative in the scoring department and an above average ball-handler. If the Bulls have plans to move on from Tomas Satoransky, a versatile backcourt player like Dosunmu could be a solid get.
Charles Bassey – C – Western Kentucky – The Bulls were inconsistent with physicality and shot-blocking throughout the season, and the big would quickly change that off the bench. Offensively, he has that rim-running ability that Daniel Gafford showed, but he’s also not afraid to launch a few threes if left open.
Juhann Begarin – SG/SF – Paris Basketball – If the Bulls want to play the draft-and-stash game once again, Begarin is the perfect candidate. He’s one of the younger prospects in the class at 18, and has a lot of developing to do on both sides of the ball.
Kessler Edwards – SF – Pepperdine – The defense is NBA ready, while the offense and perimeter game are coming. Edwards’ game could become what Chandler Hutchison was supposed to be when the Bulls selected him in the first round of the 2018 draft.
Josh Christopher – SG – Arizona State – The scorer could sneak late into the first round, but if he slips the Bulls definitely have to kick the tires on him because of his shot-making ability he could add off the bench.
