Looks like Reggie Bullock may get that guaranteed NBA contract after all.
Sports Illustrated on Friday had the Kinston native projected to go to the Indiana Pacers with the 23rd overall pick in the June 27 draft.
While the mock draft report is nothing more than a prediction, it bodes well for the 6-foot-7, 200-pound swingman who decided to forego his final year at UNC for the NBA.
The only guaranteed contracts to NBA rookies are those given to first-round draft picks. If Bullock’s stock happens to fall — SI.com isn’t the only scouting service projecting him as a first rounder — he will have to work his way into a contract and onto an NBA roster.
When Bullock announced his decision to turn pro, it caught many by surprise, including his former head coach in Roy Williams.
The SI.com article had this to say about Bullock, who was initially projected to be a second-round pick:
“The Pacers face a big offseason decision on Danny Granger, who could be traded to free up some money and/or fortify the backcourt. That could make swingman a position of need for Indiana. Bullock didn’t exactly receive a ringing endorsement from Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, who said he was more worried about Bullock going to the NBA than any of the 11 other players who left early under him. But Bullock is a very good shooter who rebounds well for his position.”
One of two mock drafts at CBSSports.com has Bullock going to the Chicago Bulls at No. 20. The website DraftExpress.com has Bullock going 24th overall to the New York Knicks, while the site NBADraft.net projects he will be taken by San Antonio with the 28th pick.
The sports website SBNation.com has Bullock listed at No. 21 on its big board, meaning it ranks him as the 21st best player in this year’s draft.
That ranking doesn’t mean Bullock will be the 21st player taken, because each team in the draft has specific needs.
According to various scouting reports, Bullock — to NBA scouts — is considered an excellent defender who can hit spot-up 3-pointers and crash the boards.
Bullock, who has worked out for several NBA teams over the last few weeks, will become the seventh Kinston native to be drafted by the NBA. He joins Cedric Maxwell, Mitchell Wiggins, Charles Shackelford, Tony Dawson, Jerry Stackhouse and Herbert Hill.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.