Chicago Bulls given interesting mandate for 2025 NBA Draft

The Chicago Bulls will pick 12th in the 2025 NBA Draft. This is not exactly an ideal range in which to pick to find a franchise-altering prospect, even in a deep class like this one. As a result of Chicago’s late-season surge and play-in outing, they once again landed late in the lottery and face an uphill battle.

Like all teams, Chicago has goals on draft night. They probably want to land a center since that’s their most glaring position of need. They may also seek some clarity on Coby White and Josh Giddey, and the draft can provide that. Their biggest goal, however, is neither of those things.

NBA insider says Chicago Bulls must find disruptor in draft

The Chicago Bulls struggled in forcing turnovers last season, so the biggest draft goal should be to find someone who can do that for them. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes believes if Chicago is intent on continuing to build this roster rather than tear it down, this should be their main focus.

“They need to assess the biggest shortcomings of the 2024-25 season,” he said. “The defense’s failure to create turnovers stands out starkly, as does the offense’s inability to generate free-throw attempts. Chicago ranked 29th in both stats, a clear indication that it needs aggressive, athletic players to put pressure on the opposition.”

He speculated that last year’s lottery pick, Matas Buzelis, might play more of a role in that next season as he continues to get better, but the forward can’t fix the Chicago Bulls’ defense all on his own. He needs a running mate to help, and there’s not much on the roster right now to do that.

“Rookies typically don’t grasp the nuances of NBA basketball right away, but they can certainly fly around and cause trouble,” he said. Is that Derik Queen, the one player linked most often to the Bulls? Not likely, as defense is considered his weakness.

Is it Drake Powell, a name quickly rising up draft boards and one that’s been linked to Chicago? Maybe, as he was a solid perimeter defender and had good defensive instincts from his one year at UNC. Perhaps it’s Collin Murray-Boyles, another forward, but one who excels in creating turnovers.

Maybe it’s French center Joan Beringer, a mid-lottery center prospect who’s a better defender than Queen. Regardless, the Bulls have their task. Will they complete it?