Each day until the 2025 NBA Draft, Pippen Ain't Easy will profile one prospect who makes sense as a fit for the Bulls in either the first or second round. These players could fill a need, such as on-ball defense or rim protection, or could fit an archetype that Chicago lacks on its current roster, like an athletic big man or 3-and-D wing. For more prospect profiles and all things draft-related, check out PAE's Chicago Bulls draft page.
This isn’t the ideal draft for Chicago to land a pick in the back half of the lottery. The Bulls need to fill several holes on their roster, chief among them an athletic rim-protector and a 3-and-D wing. They may have to switch strategies and nab a player like Marquette guard Kam Jones.
Duke’s Khaman Maluach would be the ideal choice to plug the center gap, while players like Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, Washington State’s Cedric Coward and Maluach’s Blue Devils teammate Kon Knueppel would be solid fits on the wing.
Unfortunately, those players may be off the board by the time Chicago picks at No. 12. There are other prospects who could help, but they all come with significant question marks. France’s Noa Essengue is a tantalizing 3-and-D option, but he’s a major project. Carter Bryant fits the same mold, but his offensive skill level is a mystery.
The Bulls may be better off finding stop-gap options in free agency and looking for long-term answers to those problems in next year’s loaded class. The smarter play in this year’s draft may be to take the best-player-available approach, which could end up being a guard like Jones. There are far worse plan B’s.
Kam Jones 2025 NBA Draft scouting report
Jones is 23, played four seasons in college and isn’t an explosive athlete. Those are three immediate dings on an NBA prospect’s scouting report. But digging deeper, there’s a lot to like about his game.
He may not be a high-level athlete, but the Marquette product is a high-level shot creator. He’s a smooth ballhandler who’s a natural lefty but is capable of working with either hand. He’s a crafty finisher at the rim who shot nearly 60 percent on twos during his college career.
He developed as a playmaker every season for the Golden Eagles, and with Tyler Kolek graduating after the 2023-24 campaign, he took over full-time point guard duties. His assists per game rose from 2.4 to 5.9, but he also became more efficient, boasting a better than 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
He was a consensus First-Team All-American who led a 23-11 Marquette team in points and assists and finished second in rebounds and third in steals.
Offense
Jones consistently improved as a scorer and facilitator each year. By his junior season, he had become the team's go-to option offensively, scoring 17.2 points per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three-point range.
Once Kolek left, Jones was not only the team's No. 1 scoring option, he was essentially its only scoring option. The Golden Eagles had one other player—forward David Joplin—who averaged double digits in shot attempts and scored more than 10.7 ppg.
Jones averaged 19.2 points last year as a senior while his assist totals more than doubled. Given his increase in usage rate, it makes sense that his efficiency dipped, but he still shot 48.3 percent from the field and 58.6 percent on twos. He shot a career-low 31.1 percent from three, but he shot 38.1 percent on spot-up triples during his career and looks smooth and comfortable rising up off screens and off the dribble, even if the makes came and went.
Despite his lack of elite athleticism, Jones is a true combo guard who can lead an offense through his playmaking or scoring. His efficiency shouldn't be an issue, as he won't be asked to do nearly as much as he did at Marquette.
He's a capable enough, if streaky, shooter. He's a high-level ball handler, shot creator and finisher. He's a willing and able passer who will use those same abilities to find open teammates. As an older prospect, he shouldn't have much issue carving out a spot in an NBA rotation, even if that's his ultimate ceiling.
Defense
As an average athlete, there will be a cap on how good Jones can be on the defensive end, but by no means does that mean he's a bad defender. He has the strong frame of a fully developed player and measured in at 6'3.25" barefoot with a 6-foot-6 wingspan. Those numbers aren't special, but he's long enough, strong enough and agile enough to be a passable defender.
What he lacks in physical ability, he makes up for with intelligence and effort. Shaka Smart demands a high level of intensity from his Marquette players, especially defensively, and Jones was a pest in the backcourt. He averaged 1.2 steals per game for his career and 1.4 last season.
He won't be a plus defender, but he shouldn't be a sieve, either.
Kam Jones's fit with the Chicago Bulls
Assuming they re-sign Josh Giddey this offseason, the Bulls are set with a starting backcourt of Giddey and Coby White. Ayo Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball are expected to return from injury and be ready for the 2025-26 season, but neither is guaranteed to still be on the roster. Even if they are, both are free agents after next season, as is White.
Jones is similar in play style to White, but less explosive and less consistent as a shooter. Still, he would bring a different level of versatility to Chicago's backcourt. As a scorer and playmaker, he could play on or off the ball next to Giddey or White.
He should be able to weave in and out of defenders in transition or hit an accurate kick-ahead pass to an open teammate. His creative finishing and unselfishness would also play well in the Bulls' up-tempo system, something he's familiar with from his days with the Golden Eagles.
Jones wouldn't fill an immediate need for Chicago, but he should be an option with the team's second-round pick at No. 45 as backcourt depth this season and a possible core rotation piece once the backcourt thins out next summer.
For more prospect profiles and all things draft-related, check out Pippen Ain't Easy's Chicago Bulls draft page. A new prospect's scouting report will be added daily.