June’s draft will undoubtedly be a decisive moment for the Chicago Bulls. After selecting Matas Buzelis with the 11th-overall pick a year ago, the Bulls have seemingly found their forward of the future. Furthermore, Chicago employs 25-year-old Coby White and 22-year-old Josh Giddey—the backcourt is set.

While Giddey remains a minor flight risk, he’s a restricted free agent. Thus, the Bulls have all the leverage and can match whatever contract an opposing team offers. With the backcourt in place and one of two forward spots fulfilled, the Bulls have a glaring need at center.

The Bulls must prioritize adding a center in the 2025 draft

Yes, Nikola Vucevic is Chicago’s starting center. The 6-foot-10 big man has started 327 contests over the last four and a half campaigns. He’s proved incredibly durable and impressed statistically. Vucevic has appeared in 73 or more games every full season in the Windy City. Throughout his tenure in Chicago, Vooch holds averages of 18.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

Although he’s still a starting-caliber big, at 34 years old, he doesn’t fit the Bulls’ timeline. Vucevic is the lone Bull older than 30. The Bulls are the eighth-youngest team in the NBA, with an average age of 25.5. After jettisoning Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine all within a year, the front office clearly prioritizes youth.

Besides Vucevic’s ill-fitting, he’s a sieve on defense. The 14-year pro’s porous defense is especially problematic, suiting up for the Bulls. Chicago doesn’t have the roster construction to amend, or even hide, Vucevic’s defensive woes. Neither Giddey nor White is a quality defender. The Bulls were better defensively with both guards off the floor.

While the Bulls were better defensively with Buzelis on the floor, he’s best suited to defend wiry forwards and play weakside defense. The 20-year-old is too thin to hold up in the post. The future may tell a different story, but for now, the Bulls are in need of a strong, physical athlete to roam the interior.

An argument can be made that the Bulls must add the best player available at 12th overall, or wherever they land in the lottery. Nevertheless, selecting a guard or shooter would be self-sabotage; it’s illogical and unnecessary. The need for a defensive-minded player is glaringly obvious.

A defensive big is the most ideal prospect

Chicago proved to be a much better squad in the second half of the season. The Bulls fielded the 10th-best defensive rating in the NBA, post-All-Star break, and subsequently won 17 of 27 games. The offense is and was always formidable in 2024-25. Allowing 120.7 points per game pre-All-Star brought about Chicago’s 22-33 record.

With Giddey and White being foundational pieces moving forward, there’s no use in adding a staunch perimeter defender—Ayo Dosunmu can fill this role with his versatility (although he hasn’t statistically been the best defender thus far in his career). Acquiring a defensive anchor, however, would fortify Chicago’s entire defense. Think of an NFL team solidifying its pass rush instead of adding quality defensive backs.

Drafting Duke’s Khaman Maluach, South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles, or Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber won’t be enough to remedy Chicago’s shoddy back line. Yet, it’d be a step in the right direction.

Maluach is an imposing, 7-foot-2 big man with a 9-foot-8 standing reach. He didn’t post gaudy stats, but size alone is a deterrent. Murray-Boyles is an abnormal NBA prospect, listed at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, he closely resembles an edge rusher. Even though he’s a bit of a tweener, his lateral mobility, reflexes, and physicality hint at vast defensive potential. Lastly, Sorber, at 6-foot-10, isn’t nearly the physical specimen of Maluach or Murray-Boyles. Nonetheless, he posted 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. His defensive statistics are unprecedented.