Grading the Pick: Wooga Poplar

Brad Penner - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 8 hours ago

When you look at the Bulls' draft from this season, Chicago appeared to have a clear plan going into it and didn't stray from that plan. That alone is a significant reason why this team has been mediocre at best over the past five years, as the Bulls had numerous holes to address on draft night.

Instead of going for players who would have filled those holes directly, the Bulls elected to go with upside, as Noa Essengue and Lachlan Olbrich are solid players who were drafted solely on their potential. Anytime a team does that, it becomes a double-edged sword as you look like a genius if it pans out, but you can lose your job if it doesn't.

Sticking with the potential over the actual fit, the Bulls continued to focus on potential in the undrafted market and signed Missouri sharpshooter Caleb Grill to a two-way contract. They didn't stop there and may have brought in the best name in this year's rookie class, as Villanova forward Wooga Poplar is now part of the Bulls organization.

Unlike Gills, who has a two-way deal to play with, Poplar has been signed to an exhibition-10 contract, which is basically a training camp deal. Should he perform well enough and turn heads, that deal can turn into more, as he will have his work cut out for him to make this team. Of course, trading away a player like Patrick Williams could make landing a roster spot easier, but for now, he is not only auditioning for the Bulls, but also for 29 other teams.

Another guard, Poplar, stands at 6-5 and weighs close to 200 pounds. Like so many college players today, Poplar didn't stay in one place as he spent his first three seasons with Miami before venturing out to Villanova this past season.

Always seen as a consistent yet solid player, Poplar took his game to a whole new level with the Wildcats, and Chicago is hoping that could be a sign of things to come once he gets on the court. Throughout the season, Poplar put forth a career-best 15.3 PPG while adding 7.0 RPG. He achieved this by connecting on 38.7% of his triples, which helped him land Third Team All-Big East honors.

As you can see, Poplar is another three-point sharpshooter, and like Grill, who signed late on Thursday, it seems like the Bulls are targeting shooters on the undrafted market. Along with his outside shooting, Poplar is an elite athlete who has the explosiveness to get to the rim and make plays.

He also brings a significant amount of strength to his position, which enables him to get physical and earn trips to the free throw line, where he shoots at a rate of nearly 86%. Another strength Poplar has is that he is an excellent rebounder for his size while also being able to take the ball off the dribble and connect in traffic.

Examining his overall weaknesses as a player reveals that he can be passive on the offensive end and prone to turnovers. That is a double negative in today's league as you need to be aggressive on the offensive end, but also need to take care of the ball. As agile and athletic as he is, he does tend to be undersized at times and is often caught playing out of position on the defensive end.

Looking at who some have compared him to, the names Terrance Ross and Gerald Green come to mind, just without the same athletic ability. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has also been mentioned as a comparison, mainly due to their similar size and his ability to knock shots down from distance.

Grade C: While this may be a high-upside play based on his outside shooting ability, Poplar is a raw talent who needs to get better on the mental side of things. His overall numbers may look good, but he has too passive a mindset in today's game.

As a shooter, you can't be passive and need to take the looks that are given to you. Poplar also needs to stop turning the ball over; otherwise, his days in this league are numbered. Either way, look for him to get some run during the Summer League in an effort to show the Bulls what he can do.