Queue a heightened sense of optimism! In The Ringer's most up-to-date mock draft, published on June 10, the Chicago Bulls land Duke center Khaman Maluach. Nabbing Maluach is the ideal situation for Chicago. The 7-foot-1 big man is one of the few prospects in the draft with defensive anchor potential—a necessity for the team with one of the league's worst defenses.
The 18-year-old averaged 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in only 21.2 minutes per game, suiting up for the Blue Devils. On a per-40-minute basis, that's 12.4 boards and 2.5 swats per contest. Maluach's counting stats don't scream defensive anchor, nor do they hint at a rotation-ready contributor. Yet his potential and elite physical profile does.
Maluach's limitless ceiling makes him such an awe-inspiring prospect. The 7-footer didn't begin playing basketball until 2019, when he turned 13 years old. Fast forward five years, and Maluach becomes a five-star prospect committed to Duke. Projecting Maluach's exponential growth in an NBA setting is all but impossible.
Drafting Khaman Maluach sets the Bulls up for the present and future
For the Bulls, drafting an NBA-ready player isn't entirely necessary. Not to say Maluach won't immediately make an impact, but if selected by the Bulls, he won't have to. As it stands, Chicago's roster includes 34-year-old, two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic is coming off one of his best seasons in year 14. He averaged 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds while swishing 40.2 percent of his triples.
Vucevic's strengths complement Maluach's weaknesses and vice versa. While the two might not be able to coexist, Maluach brings a much different playstyle than Vooch. The former Blue Devil is a pick-and-roll threat and lob target who brings elite versatility on the defensive end. Vucevic, on the other hand, is more of a floor spacer and post-up big that doesn't offer much, if any, resistance on the less glamorous end.
Moreover, Vucevic will likely be around another season, allowing Maluach to come off the bench in his age-19 season and start whenever Vooch is out of the lineup. The South Sudanese big man only totaled 828 minutes across 39 appearances as a freshman in Durham. Thus, he likely requires a grace period as he acclimates to the NBA.
All in all, selecting Maluach is a win-win for the Bulls. He's typically been mocked in the top 10 of this month's draft, even going as high as number four in Bleacher Report's latest rendition. If Chicago comes away with Maluach at 12, it'd seemingly be a repeat of the 2024 NBA Draft, where the Bulls snagged the undervalued Matas Buzelis.