{"id":732391,"date":"2026-05-12T12:45:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/732391\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:45:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:45:31","slug":"chicago-bulls-players-to-watch-during-the-nba-draft-combine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/732391\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bulls: Players to watch during the NBA draft combine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The future foundation of the Chicago Bulls could be determined this week at Wintrust Arena.<\/p>\n

The best of the 2026 NBA draft class<\/a> is congregated in the South Loop for the NBA draft combine. For the Bulls, this week is more important than ever after they moved up to No. 4 in the draft<\/a> with a little lottery luck Sunday. But now comes the hard part: deciding which players make the most sense at Nos. 4 and 15.<\/p>\n

With two first-round picks and two second-rounders, new executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham has the opportunity<\/a> and responsibility to scout this entire draft class from top to bottom. But which players should the Bulls be watching the closest during this week\u2019s combine?<\/p>\n

Expectations already sky-high for the NBA\u2019s draft class of 2026 \u2014 and the picks are still weeks away<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

When it comes to the No. 4 pick, the decision isn\u2019t really up to the Bulls. This is the privileged frustration of picking fourth in a draft with a consensus top four. Graham acknowledged that most experts consider that group to be BYU\u2019s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas\u2019 Darryn Peterson, Duke\u2019s Cameron Boozer and North Carolina\u2019s Caleb Wilson. It would be a shock for any of them to fall past No. 4.<\/p>\n

As the last to pick from that pack, the Bulls will be left to the whims of the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies. But that doesn\u2019t lessen the responsibility for Graham to deeply and effectively research the best decision for the Bulls to make with the No. 4 pick.<\/p>\n

First, he must make sure he agrees with the consensus. Peterson suffered cramping issues throughout his season at Kansas \u2014 which he recently attributed to the overuse of creatine \u2014 limiting his availability for a wide swath of regular-season games. And Wilson broke his thumb shortly before the NCAA Tournament, which means teams don\u2019t have tape on the forward in the highest-stakes college competition.<\/p>\n

These detriments might seem small in comparison with the players\u2019 talents, but they can make a difference in a front office\u2019s decisions.<\/p>\n

The Bulls also must scout this group in case any of the teams ahead of them decide to gamble on a player outside the consensus. What if both Peterson and Wilson are available? How about Boozer versus Dybantsa? Any of these combinations could occur if another GM decides to swing in a different direction.<\/p>\n

And Graham also must decide if he wants to be the risk taker. Point guards Kingston Flemings and Darius Acuff Jr. are bubble options for the top five in this draft class. And many Illinois fans in the city might encourage Graham to take a long look at Keaton Wagler as an outside contender for the No. 4 pick.<\/p>\n

The likelihood is very low that Graham would use the No. 4 pick on one of those players, but the research is important \u2014 both to inform his final decision and to provide context when teams inevitably make offers for the Bulls to trade back.<\/p>\n

The Bulls\u2019 second first-round pick is where things get more interesting. By the time No. 15 rolls around, this class will have broken wide open into an array of promising talent with few guarantees. This stage of the draft is where Graham\u2019s acumen as a talent identifier will be tested.<\/p>\n

At this stage in the rebuilding process, the Bulls aren\u2019t looking for fit when it comes to draft prospects. Graham made that mindset explicitly clear during his media availability after Sunday\u2019s lottery. That means they will be searching for the best athlete and prospect available at No. 15, not necessarily the best fit to play alongside Matas Buzelis or Josh Giddey \u2014 or even to complement the No. 4 pick.<\/p>\n

When executives start this type of reconstruction, they have to take on the mentality of a prospector mining for precious metals. For the first few years, it\u2019s all about trying to locate and cultivate the top talent available. Eventually the Bulls will need to mold their roster to a cohesive vision \u2014 and they probably shouldn\u2019t take two players who would outright duel for the same position, such as two on-ball point guards or two non-shooting centers \u2014 but right now, Graham and his staff are just focused on striking gold.<\/p>\n

Graham\u2019s stated preference for players who fit the SLAP acronym (size, length, athleticism and physicality) serves as a helpful guidepost in the scouting process. This class offers a wealth of flawed yet intriguing wings who could fit that bill in the middle of the first round.<\/p>\n

\"Tennessee<\/p>\n

Tennessee forward Nate Ament makes a move against Michigan guards Nimari Burnett and Elliot Cadeau (3) during an Elite Eight game March 29, 2026, at the United Center. (Josh Boland\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas forward Dailyn Swain drives to the basket in a Sweet 16 game against Purdue on March 26, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo\/Godofredo A. Vasquez)<\/p>\n

\"Michigan<\/p>\n

Michigan center Aday Mara celebrates after defeating UConn 69-63 in the NCAA championship game April 6, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"Washington<\/p>\n

Washington forward Hannes Steinbach moves the ball against Wisconsin’s Braeden Carrington in the Big Ten Tournament on March 12, 2026, at the United Center. (Josh Boland\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"Michigan<\/p>\n

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg celebrates after a 3-pointer during an Elite Eight game March 29, 2026, at the United Center. (Josh Boland\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"Michigan<\/p>\n

Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. dunks during an Elite Eight game March 29, 2026, at the United Center. (Josh Boland\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"Illinois<\/p>\n

Illinois guard Kylan Boswell defends Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. (0) on Nov. 19, 2025, at the United Center. (John J. Kim\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 7<\/p>\n

Tennessee forward Nate Ament makes a move against Michigan guards Nimari Burnett and Elliot Cadeau (3) during an Elite Eight game March 29, 2026, at the United Center. (Josh Boland\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Tennessee\u2019s Nate Ament is a stretchy, 6-foot-10 wing who needs to use this week to prove his poor outing against Michigan in the Elite Eight was an anomaly caused by an ankle injury. The Bulls could take a gander at Texas wing Dailyn Swain, although they would need to convince themselves they could fix his jumper. Baylor\u2019s Cameron Carr is similarly promising, but his 175-pound frame is a concern.<\/p>\n

The Bulls also could look to go big with their second pick. Aday Mara \u2014 a 7-3 standout in Michigan\u2019s title run \u2014 would be an intriguing center prospect if he fell to No. 15. Washington\u2019s Hannes Steinbach is projected to fall in this range, but his lack of versatility as a 6-11 big who doesn\u2019t play center might keep him off the Bulls\u2019 big board. Italy\u2019s Luigi Suigo, Santa Clara\u2019s Allen Graves and the Michigan pair of Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. are also worth watching in this category.<\/p>\n

Graham also could be on the lookout for a new point guard. His description of an ideal Bulls player doesn\u2019t particularly align with Giddey, whose lack of athleticism and defensive weaknesses might be a poor fit for the new executive\u2019s vision. The Bulls are unlikely to draft a point guard at No. 4, which means they should scout playmaking guards such as Louisville\u2019s Mikel Brown, Arizona\u2019s Brayden Burries, Alabama\u2019s Labaron Philon Jr. and Stanford\u2019s Ebuka Okorie for the No. 15 pick.<\/p>\n

With 42 days until the draft, this week is only the first step of the extensive research project that will accompany Graham\u2019s ultimate decisions \u2014 setting the stage for the next chapter of Bulls basketball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The future foundation of the Chicago Bulls could be determined this week at Wintrust Arena. The best of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":732392,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,329,90774,90776,90775,6,8203,90773,12,3408,338],"class_list":["post-732391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba-draft","tag-basketball","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-chicago-bulls-draft-pick","tag-chicago-bulls-no-15","tag-chicago-bulls-no-4","tag-nba","tag-nba-combine","tag-nba-combine-players","tag-nba-draft","tag-nba-draft-combine","tag-nba-draft-order"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116561676155558735","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=732391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=732391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=732391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=732391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}