The NBA moves fast and that’s why Bryson Graham went from new kid in the classroom to voted “Most Popular” in a matter of days.
The Bulls hired Graham to be their executive vice president of basketball operations on May 4, and six days later Graham went from holding two kings to three-of-a-kind thanks to a draft lottery that bumped his franchise from No. 9 in the odds into the No. 4 spot.
Considering the makeup of this loaded draft class, top four is a penthouse with a view.
So when discussing winners and losers from the weeklong combine in Chicago, go ahead and put Graham and the Bulls right near the top.
“It’s a great first step in this entire process here in Chicago,” Graham told reporters when asked about landing the No. 4 pick. “I almost fainted. I was like, ‘This is crazy, this is crazy,’ because it is such a great draft, ton of talent. It’s deep, you know. Obviously, there are some names at the top of the draft that you get excited about, and you just want to have a chance.”
Oh, he’ll have a chance, not only at No. 4 but at No. 15 via the Trail Blazers.
It’s a huge break for Graham, who started the process to build out his front office and was able to take advantage of all the NBA front-office personnel in town the last week and present a better selling point on why they would want to join the Bulls’ organization.
Graham wasted no time landing Stephen Mervis from the Magic to be the senior vice president of basketball operations and grabbed the Nets’ Acie Law to be the vice president of player personnel — new titles, new faces with a lot more to come.
Holding a better hand makes that possible.
Combine winners & losers
Winners
Wizards — Hitting No. 1 was the first piece of it for a Washington franchise that has been in tank mode for years. Watching AJ Dybantsa go through the drill and measurements process of the combine, however, solidified that he has a one-way ticket to the nation’s capital in the June draft.
Dybantsa measured 6-8½ barefoot, has a wingspan over 7 feet, showed off a 42-inch vertical leap and killed it in the three-point drills. But he also said the right things, including, “I play the game the right way, but I’m exciting, and I fill seats.”
Mikel Brown Jr. — The Louisville guard was hampered with back issues throughout the season. He showed up to the combine healthy and was even more athletic than anticipated. Brown had the second-best vertical at 39.5 inches among the expected guard run of Kingston Flemings (40.5 vertical), Brayden Burries (38.5), Darius Acuff (36.5) and Keaton Wagler (36) and went 18-for-25 (72%) in the spot-up three-point shooting, which led that group.
Chris Cenac Jr. — The Houston big man has put himself in position to be selected by the Bulls at No. 15 or could go even higher after an impressive week. He measured over 6-10, has a 7-5 wingspan and a 41-inch standing vertical leap and shot the ball better than expected from the outside.
He’s raw offensively but has put himself in the same category of big men such as Aday Mara, Jayden Quaintance and Hannes Steinbach.
Cameron Carr — The Baylor product measured big — 6-4½ with a wingspan over 7 feet — then played big, scoring 30 points in the scrimmage portion of the combine and showing off his athleticism and shooting range.
Carr might have moved himself from late teens in the first round to being gone by 15, when the Bulls make their second pick.
Losers
Koa Peat — The Arizona forward came into the combine listed at just under 6-9 with a reputation as a suspect outside shooter. He came out of the week officially at 6-7 and as one of the worst three-point shooters to go through the drills. Players have until May 27 to decide if they want to return to college for another season, and Peat might want to explore that option.
Amari Allen — The measurement portion of the combine always has one shrinking man, and this year it was Alabama’s Allen. The forward was listed at 6-8 for the Tide throughout the season but officially measured at 6-5. Throw in a 6-8 wingspan, and Allen will have some opinions to change in the next four weeks if he wants to improve his stock.
Tanking — The “3-2-1” system will be implemented starting next season. That means the three worst teams will have a lower chance of winning the lottery than the teams that finish fourth to 10th. Will tanking still exist? Sure, there are always loopholes, but the days of a traffic jam to be basement-bad are done.
