The NBA Draft is rapidly approaching. It’s been almost two months since most eligible draftees played their last collegiate game and a month since the Chicago Bulls were defeated by the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament.

While mid-April to May is an ever-exciting time for most NBA fans as the postseason is in full swing, it’s dormant for fans of those teams who failed to notch a playoff appearance—the Bulls being one of these less fortunate squads.

Yet, the anguish won’t last too much longer. The NBA Draft’s first two-day event begins on June 25, with the second round commencing a day later. Then, the NBA free agency negotiating window opens at 5:00 p.m. CT on June 30. There’s much to look forward to. Still, between now and June 25, analyzing draft prospects and keeping tabs on free agent and trade rumors is all the rage.

The former is at the top of most Bulls’ fans and most likely the front office’s agenda following a veteran purge over the past year. Armed with two draft picks, the 12th and the 45th, Chicago will add two prospects for the first time in five years. While the Bulls’ ideal first-round prospect has come to light, Chicago’s preferred archetype at 45 and beyond remains somewhat unknown.

The Bulls worked out two-time All-American Mark Sears

However, the player the Bulls most recently worked out is telling. Chicago had fifth-year senior and two-time All-American Mark Sears in for a pre-draft workout. The 6-foot guard averaged 18.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 three-pointers per game this past season suiting up for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Although Sears was a consensus First-Team All-American, his true senior campaign was arguably better. In 2023-24, Sears averaged 21.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.6 three-pointers per contest. He shot an uber-efficient 50.8 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from downtown. The Ohio transfer ultimately tested the NBA Draft waters but decided to come back for a graduate season.

A year ago, it’s quite possible Sears would have heard his name called in the second round. This time around, the Crimson Tide’s second-place all-time leading scorer is poised to go undrafted. ESPN has Sears ranked as its 78th prospect, NBADraft.net 69th, Tankathon 69th, CBS Sports 64th, and Yahoo Sports 61st.

Sears’ combine measurements likely hurt his stock. He measured the shortest height (5’10.75″), standing reach (7’8.5″), and wingspan (6’2.0″) among declarants. However, he aced the shooting drills. Sears knocked down the highest percentage of off-the-dribble shots (86.7 percent) and the second-most spot-up three-pointers (76 percent).

Although small in stature and one of the draft’s older prospects, having already turned 23 years old, Sears is a proven shotmaker and brings a wealth of experience playing in arguably the NCAA’s most rigorous conference for three years. He’d make for an intriguing undrafted signing, one that could perhaps make an impact right away due to his bankable shotmaking.