"Don't draft for need" and "take the best player available" are two common and often correct front office philosophies across all sports. Unless your team is one player away from being a legitimate championship contender, it's best to simply stack talent. The Chicago Bulls are not one player away from making a title push and, less than a month out from the draft, are picking in the back half of the lottery.
The franchise is struggling to escape mediocrity. VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas has constructed a team that has made three consecutive Eastern Conference Play-In Tournaments, with no playoff berths to show for it. Playing it safe with the No. 12 pick in June 25th's draft won't get the Bulls any closer to moving away from NBA purgatory.
Chicago has priorities to address, sure. With Josh Giddey likely to return and Coby White proving himself capable of being the team's top scoring option, guard may seem like a lesser need. And with one of the worst defenses in the league—and the statistically absolute worst at giving up points in the paint—a rim deterrent and some on-ball wing stoppers are certainly more significant needs.
But nothing should preclude the Bulls from grabbing talent, regardless of position—and regardless of where prospects may be ranked on big boards and mock drafts. Here's a trio of players Chicago should consider taking in the lottery, even if it comes as a shock to most draft enthusiasts.
Bulls should reach for Coward, Sorber, Powell with No. 12 pick in 2025 NBA Draft
Cedric Coward, F, Washington State
Cedric Coward may very well be the single most overlooked player in the entire 2025 class. Given that he started his career at the Division III level and made two more stops before entering the draft, that's not necessarily shocking.
But the 21-year-old averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 40.0 percent from three last season at Wazzu. Unfortunately, his season ended after just six contests due to a torn labrum. Had that production carried through the entire 2024-25 campaign, Coward would be a surefire top-10 pick.
He measured in at 6-feet-5 ¼, 213 pounds with a 7-foot-2 ¼ wingspan and 8-foot-10 standing reach at the combine. Those are prototypical measurements for a 3-and-D wing. Combine that physical profile with Coward's effortless athleticism, silky smooth repeatable stroke and continued improvement on the defensive end, and the Bulls could land the steal of the draft at No. 12.
Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown
Like Coward, Sorber would be higher up draft boards had an injury not derailed his freshman season with the Hoyas. And like Coward, his eye-opening combine measurements put him back on most draft radars, just not quickly enough.
Sorber may be on the shorter side for a center at 6-foot-9 ¼, but he's nearly 270 pounds and his 7-foot-6 wingspan was tied for the second-longest in the draft. His size and strength make him a brute scorer in the post who can set destructive screens, and his massive wingspan and 9-foot-1 standing reach give him the verticality necessary to alter shots at the rim.
His court vision, processing ability, unselfishness and passing skills make him a potentially high-level playmaker on offense with some scoring upside still to unlock.
Sorber averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals in his lone unfinished season at Georgetown and is only 19 years old.
Drake Powell, G, North Carolina
Drake Powell arrived at Chapel Hill as a five-star recruit but didn't see the floor as much as he probably deserved, especially on a struggling Tar Heels squad. But he's put the pre-draft process to perfect use, launching himself from a borderline draftable prospect to an almost certain first-rounder.
Powell's high school rep was an uber-athletic, hard-working, explosive wing defender. That's exactly how he tested at the combine. He had the best no-step and max verticals of any player and was one of the seven fastest and most agile prospects in Chicago. He has a 7-foot wingspan to complement his 6-foot-5 ¼ height.
Drake Powell jumps a 42 1/2 and then a monster 43 inch max vertical leap, tops by a wide margin so far at the NBA draft combine and an impressive mark historically. pic.twitter.com/FGp7Xwk5Hg
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2025
He was a streaky shooter at UNC, but he did connect on 37.9 percent of his 2.6 triples per game. Powell has a high floor as a borderline elite wing defender, but given that he's only 19 years old, has already shown he can be a solid shooter in spurts and has the discipline and mentality to get better, his ceiling is as high as anyone's.