The Bulls have been one of the best teams in the NBA since the All-Star break, even if it's gone unnoticed nationally and hasn't helped Chicago leap up the Eastern Conference standings. (The team is set for another Play-In Tournament spot and another matchup with the Miami Heat.)
The catalysts for the current run of form have been guards Josh Giddey and Coby White. White is 13th in the league in scoring (26.1 points per game) during the 23-game post-break span. He's shooting 50.2 percent from the field on 17.7 attempts a night and 38.1 percent from deep on nearly eight attempts per game. He's getting to the free-throw line six times a game and shooting better than 90 percent from the stripe.
Giddey has evolved into a completely different player and helped Chicago evolve into a completely different team.
During that same time frame, the 22-year-old is averaging 20.8 points on 49/45/80 shooting splits. He's been a nightly triple-double threat (he has a career-high six this season) with averages of 10.4 boards and 9.2 assists. He leads all guards in rebounding and is fourth among all players in assists—just one behind MVP candidate Nikola Jokic since the break.
Giddey, White and the Bulls will need to win two Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament games to reach the playoffs; if they fall short, they'll have gotten their young cornerstones some postseason experience while holding onto a pick somewhere in the lottery. The best of both worlds, so to speak.
Considering its recent history, that seems like a plausible outcome for Chicago, which begs the question: What kind of player will the front office add to an ascending young team? Well, preferrably not this one.
Bulls draft BYU's Egor Demin in latest ESPN NBA Mock Draft
ESPN draft gurus Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released their latest mock (subscription required) the day after Florida beat Houston to win the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, a sensible spot on the calendar.
What doesn't make sense is the player they gave the Bulls at No. 12: BYU point guard Egor Demin. This isn't a knock on Demin as a prospect. The 6-foot-9 point guard averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists for the Cougars and was a member of the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.
About the 19-year-old Russian, Woo wrote, "He remains a polarizing evaluation and fit for NBA teams as an excellent passer with size who struggles to beat opponents one-on-one and is inconsistent shooting from long range."
If that description of a 6-foot-9 point guard sounds familar to Bulls fans, it's because it is. Here's a portion of Giddey's scouting report courtesy of Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman before the 2021 draft:
"An elite passer with 6'8" size, Giddey has an easy time facilitating offense and setting up teammates. He isn't the most explosive, but he gets to his spots and knows how to use his height and vision for playmaking. ... The 18-year-old guard's work ... will begin with improving his offensive efficiency. He shot just 43 percent from the field, including 28 percent on threes."
Demin shot 41.2 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three at BYU.
This all makes Chicago's decision in ESPN's mock an uber-questionable call, but at the very end of Woo's explanation for the pick, he adds, "The Bulls don't need a player in his mold, with Josh Giddey on their roster, but Demin's upside at this point in the draft could warrant consideration."
He's not wrong about Demin's upside. Chicago could go with the best-player-available approach, which Demin would arguably be at No. 12. If the Bulls pull the trigger on a move like this, it could potentially set up an intriguing scenario in which the franchise makes the pick and immediately looks for a trade partner.
Chicago could trade down and grab another first-round pick, either this year or in the future, as it looks to build toward its next iteration of a contender. It could send Demin packing, perhaps with another pick, for a current NBA player who fits a need.
Maybe the pick could be included with Patrick Williams if the Bulls try to get the forward's contract off their books. Maybe it's part of a package to move up and draft a prospect like Duke center Khaman Maluach.
Whatever the endgame is in this scenario, two things are true. One, Demin would not be a good addition to this roster, even in the slightest. And two, it would open up several promising possibilities if the Bulls want to wheel and deal this offseason.