Dynamic PG projected to Bulls in The Ringer's latest mock draft

It's that time of year again when fans of the NBA's most disappointing teams begin to turn their eyes to who may be in next year's draft, rather than the actual games being played. This is an unfamiliar feeling for my fellow Chicago Bulls fans — not because this team hasn't been disappointing (they certainly have been), but because Chicago has not selected a player in the lottery in the last three drafts.

In fact, the Bulls have only owned a single pick in the first round in the last three draft classes. The one year they did have a first-round pick, they selected Dalen Terry, who has been by and large very disappointing during his short NBA career. Outside of lucking into selecting Ayo Dosunmu 38th overall in 2021, the draft has not yielded very fruitful results for Chicago so far this decade.

That all hopefully changes this summer, when the front office will have to make the most of their 2024 first-round selection if they want any hope of turning things around for the Bulls. As bad as things have been for this team, the one silver lining in their mediocre performance is that they may have a chance to hit it big in the NBA Draft Lottery.

lotto odds. If the Bulls do not win a top-four selection in the lottery, they will own the 12th pick in the draft. Of course, a lot could change between now and the end of the season, but I don't see the Bulls committing to a tank or playing so well they move out of the mid-first round with only 17 games remaining on their schedule.

With that in mind, just who might be available at No. 12 overall that could make a noticeable impact on this team? The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor reckons Chicago could select Isaiah Collier, a 6-foot-4 guard out of USC.

The Bulls may consider drafting Isaiah Collier out of USC in the 2024 NBA Draft.

"The Bulls should be taking big swings in the draft to escape the middle, where they’ve been stuck for years," says O'Connor, "[Isaiah] Collier is a raw point guard and has played in a less than ideal situation with a terrible USC roster, but his shifty athleticism and flashes of stardom make him worth a shot. With Chicago performing much better in recent months, maybe Collier and Coby White could form a backcourt of the future."

Averaging 16.6 points and 4.2 assists per game, Collier has proven he can get the job done with the ball in his hands, even when surrounded by a poor USC supporting cast. Collier is a very shifty and athletic guard capable of cobbling together some very impressive highlight reels, and he also has the size and defensive acumen to not be a liability on the opposite end of the court.

Forced to be the primary creator on a 14-17 USC squad, Collier is admittedly prone to committing unnecessary mistakes. His upside is interesting, but not if he can't keep a handle on the ball and improve his off-ball capabilities. Most concerning of all, Collier is only knocking down 32.9% of his threes and 67.8% of his free throws this season. No matter how much upside he supposedly has on paper, if teams don't fear Collier from beyond the arc, he won't be cracking an NBA rotation any time soon.

The Ringer claims Collier displays shades of Tyreke Evans and Immanuel Mudiay as NBA player comparisons. When you look around and see how many great mid-lottery players are in the NBA today, this comparison is... not very flattering to say the least.

Although I do agree the Bulls should be searching for a genuine ceiling raiser in this upcoming draft, I'm not so confident they have one on their hands here with Colliers. Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have already proven themselves to be genuine building blocks in the backcourt, and Alex Caruso is simply too good to not continue having a big role with the Bulls moving forward.

I'd be happy to see Arturas Karnisovas stray from his unsuccessful of drafting project players that prove to be the jack of all trades, but masters of none (like Terry and Julian Phillips), That being said, I'm not so sure the Bulls need another non-shooter who needs the ball in his hands to be productive at this early stage of their inevitable roster retooling.