Julian Phillips Gets Drafted No. 35 Overall, Series Of Trades Puts Him In Chicago

Former Tennessee Volunteers forward Julian Phillips was selected No. 35 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and will begin his career with the Chicago Bulls.

The Boston Celtics selected former Tennessee forward Julian Phillips with the 35th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night. Well, kind of. Overnight between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the Celtics, Grizzlies, and Wizards made a three-team trade that involved the 35th pick. 

As explained and reported by Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics sent the 35th pick to the Washington Wizards in the deal that involved Marcus Smart going to Memphis and Kristaps Porzingis going to Boston with more players and picks involved, too. Then, during the draft on Thursday night, Shams Charania reported that the Chicago Bulls were acquiring the 35th pick for a couple of second-round picks to get their guy - Phillips. So, after all that, Phillips will be a Chicago Bull.

Julian Phillips, Chicago Bulls F

The one-and-done averaged 8.3 points per game for the Vols this year in 24 minutes on the court per contest. He added 4.7 rebounds per game and was a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team. After this season, Phillips entered the transfer portal but opted to go the professional route instead. His stats from last season may not jump off the page, but his athleticism does. After all, NBA scouts are not looking at how you fared in college. They are predicting future success in the NBA, especially looking for players with high potential. A lot of times, this starts with athleticism. Phillips will have to work for his playing time, coming in as a rookie selected outside of the first round. However, Chicago is a bit thin in terms of depth on the wing, especially at the small forward position after DeMar DeRozan. We will have to wait and see how much he plays.

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