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The NBA Draft is a little over 24 hours away as it will get started on Wednesday night, and Chicago Bulls fans are eager to see how the team attacks it. Like every draft, there have been a lot of rumors swirling about what the Bulls will do on draft night. They are currently in possession of the 12th pick, but there have been some rumors about Chicago trading up for a better spot.
Bulls insider K.C. Johnson address the 2025 NBA Draft on Tuesday, and he revealed what he has heard in terms of what Chicago is planning to do at the draft. He isn't hearing a lot about the Bulls trading up, and he is also expecting the team to select either Collin Murray-Boyles from South Carolina, or French phenom Noa Essengue.
“From everything I've been told, they are very confident they're going to get a good player at 12,” K.C. Johnson said during an episode of The Fastbreak. “I have not heard much talk about them trading up. It's a very eye of the beholder draft, so I do think a good player will be there available at number 12, and the two names that I'm hearing the most linked to the Bulls are Colin Murray-Boyles and Noah Essengue, the French prospect, pretty different players.”
Collin Murray-Boyles just finished up his sophomore season at South Carolina, and he was a standout in the SEC. His dominance on defense is what stands out most.
“Collin Murray-Boyles is probably the best defensive prospect in the draft, just very versatile, very confident in his defensive ability,” Johnson added. “His comp at the combine that he pulled us was OCK's Jalen Williams, so that's a pretty good comp if you're a Bulls fan and he's available at 12. If he's not, Noa Essengue is the pick.”
Noa Essengue is a young prospect with a ton of potential. He has professional experience overseas, and he seems to fit the mold of what the Bulls are looking for.
“That's a bet on upside,” Johnson continued. “He's 18, played professionally, very athletic. Can get up and down the floor. And that's kind of the big takeaway and the big theme that you're hearing associated with the Bulls is they definitely want to add a player that fits with this style of play, you know, with getting up and down the court, playing fast in transition, taking a lot of threes. Obviously they need help with two-way players. The Bulls are lacking in those, so both those players project to be eventually solid two-way players in this league.”
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Derik Queen is a name that has been mentioned a lot regarding the Bulls, and if Collin Murray-Boyles and Noa Essengue don't work out, then Chicago will be more likely to go that route.
“If they're not available, the one name that I'm hearing that is just going to be such a disparate opinion maker is Derik Queen,” Johnson said. “I mean, he is projecting, at least now, to be a draft day slide. If he's there at number 12, do the Bulls bet on that extreme offensive upside? He's got question marks about his athleticism, his work ethic, his defense, but man, he is as accomplished of an offensive big as you will find, and the Bulls certainly need some long-term answers at center with Nikola Vucevic's future uncertain, and Zach Collins up after next year.”
This is a big draft for the Bulls. Last year's Matas Buzelis pick is looking good, and Chicago needs to keep the momentum going.
“Wednesday and Thursday are going to be really, really interesting to monitor,” Johnson concluded. “Obviously, the Bulls, by gaining control back of their first-round pick in the Zach LaVine trade, have to start hitting on these first-round picks. They appear to have done so with Matas Buzelis, and they need to do so moving forward. They've got a lot of work to do to catch the Pacers and others in the Eastern Conference.”
The 2025 NBA Draft will get underway at 8:00 ET from the Barclays Center in New York on Wednesday night. The first round of the draft will take place on Wednesday, and the second round will go down on Thursday.
