All eyes in Chicago were fixated Tuesday night on the No. 4 NBA draft pick, which the Bulls used to select North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
But that outcome had been predicted and expected for weeks. The true intrigue came into play at No. 15, where the Bulls had to choose between adding another wing, gambling on several untested big men or picking from a slew of talented but undersized guards.
With the selection of Texas guard Dailyn Swain, the Bulls are investing in another promising talent with plenty of upside — and a lot of development work to do.
Here are five things to know about Swain.
1. He is his high school’s all-time leading scorer.
Swain scored 1,509 points over four years at Columbus Africentric Early College, a predominantly Black magnet school on the east side of Columbus, Ohio. The school also produced WNBA guard Jordan Horston.
In addition to the school scoring record, Swain was named the Ohio Division III Player of the Year for his last two seasons and earned first-team All-City and All-State honors. He was a four-star recruit ranked No. 2 in Ohio and No. 99 nationally in the Class of 2023 by the 247 Sports composite.
2. He started his college career at Xavier.
Xavier guard Dailyn Swain drives on Illinois forward Will Riley in the first half of a first-round NCAA Tournament game March 21, 2025, in Milwaukee. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Swain stayed closer to home for his first two college seasons while playing for the Musketeers in Cincinnati. He made the Big East All-Freshman team after averaging 4.6 points but missed the end of the season because of an appendectomy.
He became a starter the next season and averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds. He scored 11 points in Xavier’s First Four win over Texas in the NCAA Tournament, then tallied a career-high 27 in a first-round loss to Illinois.
3. He’s not afraid of a rivalry with Bryson Graham.
Before executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham could end his draft-night phone call congratulating Swain, the rookie couldn’t keep himself from taking a dig at his new boss’s alma mater.
A Texas A&M graduate, Graham laughed while recalling how Swain playfully threw shade at the Aggies, adding that it was impressive that Swain’s Longhorn pride didn’t prevent Graham from drafting him.
Swain followed coach Sean Miller from Xavier to Texas for his final college season, in which he led the Longhorns in points, rebounds, assists, steals and minutes played — the only NCAA Division I player to lead his team in all five categories.
4. He’s a highlight reel of self-creation.
Texas’ Dailyn Swain drives to the basket during the first half of a Sweet 16 game against Purdue on March 26, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
If there’s one thing Swain can do, it’s get to the basket — with urgency. The 6-foot-8 guard is an elite one-on-one creator with the versatility to use both his dribble and body to get to the rim and the line.
Swain showed a knack last season for using side-to-side motion and his size to move defenders out of their lanes and tuck himself into angles. As a self-proclaimed “big guard,” he was often too large for college guards to bump off his line and too quick for college bigs to deter in help.
Swain can finish through contact, and he’s also elite at inviting physicality and using defenders to his advantage. He averaged 4.5 points on free throws for the Longhorns, more than a quarter of his 17.3 scoring average.
This type of skill set can provide an exciting mixtape, but it also can make for a challenging introduction to the NBA. Swain is likely to be working within the margins of minimal playing time during his first season, which means he will be asked mainly to thrive as a defender and off-ball connector.
There will be plenty of chances for Swain to break down defenders and attempt to wow on his way to the basket — but those moments will be a garnish rather than the main entree of his rookie season.
5. His shot is a work in progress.
The Bulls did not prioritize shooting in Tuesday’s first round. Swain averaged less than one made 3-pointer per game last season, finishing 32 of 93 (34.4%) in 36 games.
At this point in his career, Swain is a scorer, not a shooter. This has been a common theme for a Bulls team still developing the shots of young players such as Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue — and now they can add Swain and Wilson to the list.
Both Graham and Swain acknowledged the importance of improving his shot profile in the early years of his career. Swain began this process three years ago, increasing his 3-point accuracy from 15.4% as a freshman to 25% as a sophomore to last season’s 34.4%.
Perhaps the most promising sign for Swain’s shooting is his consistency at the free-throw line, where he shot between 81.3% and 81.7% for all three of his college seasons. That level of reliability in a stand-still shot suggests that he possesses the basic mechanics of a decent shot but needs to develop fluidity and confidence in his process off the dribble and in spot-up situations.