The Chicago Bulls have two of their three centers expiring this offseason, but this latest mock draft sees the Bulls adding reinforcements in a big way...
The Chicago Bulls have an interesting mix of big men on their roster in Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins, and Jalen Smith. Interesting in the sense that it may not look like the most inspiring group on paper, but the skillsets of each player work in the method in which Billy Donovan deploys them.
Vucevic is a solid inside-out scorer who is a definite negative on defense, Smith brings much more versatility as a defender and some of the same floor spacing as Vucevic. And the oft-injured Collins is still a dependable rebounder and defender who was trying to expanding his range to the 3-point line this season. Vucevic and Collins are both on expiring contracts, and the frontcourt could be in need of some help even if both players return. The latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft from SB Nation sees the Bulls finally bringing a young big to mesh with the rest of their core.
SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell did one spin on Tankathon to get a simulated draft order and then made the picks for each team based off his personal big board and evaluations of each player rather than team fit. All of that being said, the Bulls selection in the mock draft certainly fits the need category, as it had them selecting Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba.
Assuming Donovan deemed him NBA-ready--no guarantee--Ngongba would seamlessly slide into the Bulls rotation. Ngongba comes in at 6-foot-11, 250 lbs., marks that would immediately make him the biggest player on the Bulls roster, at 19 years old no less. Despite being a massive player, Ngongba is very capable of sliding his feet in pick-and-roll coverage on defense.
This season at Duke, Ngongba has averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game on 63.4% shooting from the field. Most of the sophomore's offense comes in the paint but he is experimenting with expanding his range at 1.1 3-point attempts per game, albeit shooting 23.8%.
Even though Ngongba would come into the NBA a bit unpolished on the offensive end, his shot-blocking and willingness as a passer (3.5 assists per 40 minutes) would make him a perfect fit on a Bulls team that is 3rd in the league in assists per game (29.9) and badly needs a rim protector.
At the time of this writing, the Bulls sit at 23-23, good for the 14th and final spot in the NBA Draft Lottery. If the Bulls finish just outside of the lottery, or in the 10-14 range, there is a good chance Patrick Ngongba is one of the premier names on the board.