The Chicago Bulls have an ideal draft prospect in mind—there's no doubt about it. After Chicago's pre- and post-lottery draft position remained intact, business will proceed as expected. The Bulls will select 12th overall in next month's draft, one slot lower than a season ago.
Therefore, the late-lottery-projected crop of prospects will remain at the top of the Bulls' draft board. These prospects include (alphabetically) Arizona's Carter Bryant, BYU's Egor Demin, Duke's Kon Knueppel, Georgetown's Thomas Sorber, Georgia's Asa Newell, Maryland's Derik Queen, Michigan State's Jase Richardson, South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles, and apparently, Texas's Tre Johnson.
While including Johnson in the "late lottery" grouping is a stretch, Chicago still felt inclined to meet with the NCAA's freshman leading scorer. Aside from Johnson, the Bulls met with several of the prospects mentioned above who share a similar archetype.
The Bulls have zeroed in on the forwards of the 2025 draft class
According to Chicago Sports Network's K.C. Johnson, the Bulls met with McNeeley, Murray-Boyles, Newell, and Sorber. Of these prospects, all measured at least 6-foot-6 barefoot and suit up on the wing, at center, or a combination of the two. McNeeley is the sole prospect (besides Johnson) who will primarily play forward in the NBA.
All in all, Chicago's meetings have identified the front office's preferred archetype, a combo forward to pair with last year's 11th-overall pick, Matas Buzelis. Such a prospect is most logical. The Bulls trotted out undersized lineups most of last season, typically moonlighting Patrick Williams (6-foot-7), Buzelis (6-foot-10, yet 200 pounds), and even Ayo Dosunmu (6-foot-5) at power forward alongside a non-rim-protecting big, Nikola Vucevic.
Fortunately for Chicago, Buzelis has enough length to suit up at power forward and the requisite finesse to shift down to small forward. Thus, despite Murray-Boyles' non-shooting profile and below-average, 6-foot-6 combine measurement, his powerful 240-pound frame complements Buzelis' slim physique. Same goes for McNeeley, who isn't nearly as physical as Murray-Boyles, yet at 6-foot-6, the former Husky projects as a small forward at the next level.
On the other hand, standing at 6-foot-9, both Newell and Sorber are ideal tweeners, capable of slotting in at either power forward or center. The former is more adept at the four in the NBA, due to his slighter frame (223 pounds) and hyper-mobility.
Sorber, whose wingspan measured 7-foot-6, is bound to play center in the NBA. Despite being a tad undersized, his gargantuan wingspan and 263-pound frame all but make up for his somewhat below-average height. Furthermore, Sorber's 7.6 block and 2.6 steal percentage hint at an impressive defensive versatility.
However, Sorber isn't the only intriguing defensive prospect. Murray-Boyles has been deemed one of the best defenders in the 2025 draft class. The sophomore forward averaged 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks for the Gamecocks a season ago. Newell is also no slouch on the less glamorous end. Although more offense-oriented, the freshman averaged 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 33 appearances for the Bulldogs.
Johnson and McNeeley are the only prospects not fitting the combo forward archetype. The former Longhorn is a score-first guard who, at 6-foot-5, is purely a shooting guard in the NBA. Nonetheless, Johnson isn't expected to fall outside the top 10. McNeeley, although a decent fit in Chicago, is more of a spot-up shooting threat who will likely be around after the conclusion of the lottery.