Having two top-15 picks is a good start, but NBA dynasties are built when teams unearth gems in unexpected parts of the draft. The Chicago Bulls can do that this summer if they maneuver around the board and land Meleek Thomas, who could end up as the biggest steal of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Overlooking Thomas is understandable. He was overshadowed at Arkansas by potential top-five pick Darius Acuff Jr. He didn't have a 45-point explosion like Mikel Brown Jr. He was never a lead ballhandler.
But he is one of this class's best pure shot makers, and the team smart enough to nab him will have acquired one of the biggest sleepers of this entire draft.
Meleek Thomas is one of the 2026 NBA Draft's hidden gems
First and foremost, Meleek Thomas is a high-level perimeter shot maker. Like high level. That's a skill set that can sometimes feel unremarkable, especially in a draft as stacked as this one, but it should not go unnoticed.
The 19-year-old averaged 15.6 points last year for the Razorbacks and drilled 41.6 percent of his 4.3 3-point tries per game. His 52.5 percent effective field-goal percentage was among the best in the Southeastern Conference.
Thomas finished ninth in the SEC in threes made and was named to the league's All-Freshman Team. He shot a wild 48.7 percent from deep in conference play — more than five percentage points better than Acuff.
He can shoot on the move or as a spot-up sniper. He shot 47.8 percent on catch-and-shoot opportunities from the corner, per The Ringer.
Thomas is also a fantastic mid-range scorer who uses a lightning-quick release to stop and pop over defenders before they can react.
And he's a better playmaker than most other players of his archetype — he was fifth in the SEC in turnover percentage — and is a pesky defender who averaged 1.5 steals a night.
Thomas's game is reminiscent of Malik Monk, if Monk were a more committed defender and facilitator. Interestingly, Monk also played for John Calipari at Kentucky.
The Chicago Bulls can't just rely on high lottery picks
Entering this year's lottery with the ninth-best odds and coming away with the No. 4 pick was a godsend for Bulls executive VP of basketball operations Bryson Graham. He already had the 15th pick in his pocket, courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers.
But Chicago's new head of basketball ops should be just as focused on the 38th pick as he is on No. 4. Hitting on those assets can push a franchise from the playoffs to the finals.
Fifteen is too high for Thomas, but he won't be around when Chicago's back on the board again at 38. It would take some draft night scheming, but adding the potential steal of the draft would be a sharp tool to have as the Bulls rebuild.
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