The Chicago Bulls have the 13th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Arturas Karnisovas will likely select based on both talent and fit, as he continues to reshape Billy Donovan’s roster.
In a recent mock draft from Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, the Bulls are projected to take Drake Powell out of North Carolina.
“With a chiseled frame that he uses to barrel into defenders at the rim and to contain opponents when on defense, Powell posted arguably the best athletic testing numbers and shot well,” O’Connor wrote. “That shooting success has continued on through pre-draft workouts. He’s a switch-everything defender who plays with a high motor, and if his spot-up jumper translates, he checks all the boxes to be a 3-and-D role player at a minimum.”
The Bulls need some talent on the wings. Powell would provide long-term upside for Chicago while potentially making an impact during his rookie and sophomore seasons. The 6-foot-6 forward played in 37 games during his maiden collegiate season, averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He shot the rock at a 37.9% clip from deep and converted on 48.3% of his total field goal attempts.
Bulls Expected to Use Pacers’ Blueprint
According to K.C. Johnson, the Bulls are expected to follow the Indiana Pacers‘ rebuilding blueprint. What that means, is that Chicago will target talent that both fits the head coaches system while also having long-term upside in terms of growth.
“They do need some front court help. I will tell you this. One thing I’ve heard consistently about the Bulls is that they are very focused on stylistically, how whoever they pick in the first round will fit with their new philosophy,” Johnson said during a recent episode of “The Fast Break” for Chicago Sports Network. “They obviously are trying to emulate the Indiana Pacers.”
Johnson continued.
“The overall takeaway here is that the Bulls are not hung up on position. They will draft the best talent available, and when you’re picking 12, you don’t know what that’s going to be, but there’s a lot of potential excitement and potential possibilities there.”
The Bulls’ front office is doing a great job of remaining focused on the bigger picture. Adding talent that can slot into a role, earn significant playing time, and has the potential to develop into a key contributor is the perfect way to go about a rebuild.
Bulls’ Approach Will Require Patience
While Chicago clearly has a blueprint to get where it wants to go, there’s no doubt that the approach will take time to pay dividends. As such, Karnisovas was right to ask for patience from the fanbase during his April 17 media availability.
“I’m asking for the fans to have patience,” Karnisovas said. “We’re in the first year of that transition. I thought that the way we finished the year showed some promise. It’s hard to win games in this league. But to finish 15-5, it’s not a victory lap, but I think there are some positives. I think we gotta keep on building this group by adding another player in the lottery. Going into free agency and adding another piece. And, obviously, going into the summer, that’s when the players get better.”
Bulls fans are among the smartest in the NBA. They will recognize that there’s a clear plan in place and steps are being taken to make that plan a reality. As such, as long as the front office continues to stick to its principles, it’s unlikely the fanbase will grow too restless, at least, not in the short term.
