From here on, mock drafts may be the hottest reads for Chicago Bulls fans. The team made it clear it was punting on the season and committing to a full rebuild at the trade deadline after parting ways with a league-high eight players. In return, the Bulls picked up a few intriguing pieces, but nothing to get too excited about. That makes the upcoming draft the real spotlight for fans of the soft-tanking Bulls.
Bulls double down on size to reshape the frontcourt
In No Ceilings’ first post-trade-deadline mock draft, the Bulls land Arizona’s Koa Peat at 10th overall. Peat is a 6-foot-8, 235-pound, 19-year-old freshman who's averaged 14.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game for the top-ranked Wildcats.
No Ceilings wrote of Peat, "Arizona freshman Koa Peat feels like the most archetypal prospect in the class for a Bulls front office led by Artūras Karnišovas. Built like a football player, Peat moves with the fluidity, grace, and explosive power of a top edge rusher. He can play above the rim, create his own shot in the midrange, defend multiple positions, and be a vital, versatile contributor."
The Wildcat phenom would fill a major void in Chicago’s lineup at power forward. He’s smaller than the Bulls’ most prized prospect, Matas Buzelis, but weighs almost 40 more pounds, bringing some brute force to Chicago’s otherwise small frontcourt.
Chicago has been intent on playing Buzelis at small forward, often pairing Nikola Vucevic with Jalen Smith in the frontcourt when possible. Yet the Bulls’ most cohesive lineup didn’t include Smith. And with Vucevic gone after the trade deadline, Smith became the lone healthy big on the roster before Chicago added Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards in subsequent trades.
Still, Buzelis, Smith, and rookie first-round pick Noa Essengue will be the only frontcourt players on the roster after this season. Adding Peat would be a smart move since Essengue is more of a natural small forward at roughly 200 pounds.
The move makes sense in theory. Peat is a good prospect, but he has clear flaws. He doesn’t space the floor (6-of-18 from three this season), and perhaps his biggest issue is that his game may not fully translate to the NBA.
Peat adds muscle but leaves questions at center
Peat relies on his physicality and athleticism, often bullying players into the paint a la Julius Randle. But where does he fit on defense, and will his lack of a reliable outside jumper limit his downhill attacking game in the NBA? Those are questions the Bulls might not want answered.
Chicago still has a gaping hole at center. Rather than adding Peat, a developing forward, it might make more sense to reach for a center on the same development curve. The Bulls are thin inside, even recently starting 6-foot-7 Yabusele at the five. Unfortunately for Chicago, Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance goes ninth in No Ceilings’ latest mock, and beyond him, there aren’t many appealing first-round centers.
Peat is a worthwhile selection, especially at No. 10, but the plan still carries significant risk. Ignoring the center position has long hurt Chicago, and the Bulls’ interior defense has been consistently weak. While Peat won’t shore up the paint, he brings much-needed physicality to an otherwise soft frontcourt.