The dream starting 5 for the Chicago Bulls 5 years from now
Dream starting small forward for the Chicago Bulls: Cooper Flagg
- Age in 2028: 21
- Comparison: Bigger Mikal Bridges, Quicker Jaren Jackson Jr.
We move away from the already-established NBA players here by investing the Bulls’ future in a prospect who’s still playing high school basketball. Cooper Flagg has made quite the name for himself in recent months, after dominating the EYBL Peach Jam in Georgia and getting tangled in a since-debunked beef with NBA star Bradley Beal.
Although the Bulls traded their 2025 first-round pick away to the Spurs to acquire DeRozan in 2021, it’s still top-10 protected. If he maintains his current trajectory, there’s no chance Flagg will slip past the first pick or two. This dream scenario has Chicago landing the top pick to land Flagg, so San Antonio won’t be able to ruin our fun here just yet.
Flagg has used his size to his advantage at the high school level, dominating in the paint with his scoring and rebounding ability. What makes him such a great prospect, however, is his incredible in-game awareness and ability to provide help defense nearly instantaneously. He has not only the body of an NBA player, but also the mind of one.
At 6-foot-9, there’s no doubt in my mind that Flagg could very well develop into a combo forward capable of playing either position. But if his agility holds up with his size, it’s hard to not envision him as having a Kevin Durant-esque presence at small forward with the defensive capabilities of a Jaren Jackson Jr. or Anthony Davis. By all accounts, Cooper Flagg is the dream prospect for the Chicago Bulls.