The Chicago Bulls come into the 2026-27 season with one of the better young, up-and-coming wings in the NBA on their roster. Unfortunately for Chicago, the central division is no stranger to intriguing small forwards. Everyone from the top team in the division to the last place Bucks, has an intriguing player manning the SF spot.
1. Ausar Thompson - '25-'26 stats: 9.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.0 SPG (led the league)
2. Matas Buzelis - '25-'26 stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 34.9% 3PT (6.4 3-pt attempts per game)
3. Peyton Watson - '25-'26 stats: 14.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 41.1% 3PT
4. Jaime Jacquez Jr. - '25-'26 stats: 15.4 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.7 APG
5. Aaron Nesmith - '25-'26 stats: 13.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 37.9% 3PT
Bold indicates player made All-Defensive Team
While we usually like to to start with the best of the best, we would be remiss not to mention all the change on the wing in the central division. The Milwaukee Bucks had the most change of anyone within the division--and maybe the league--with their decision to trade former Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Anteokounmpo got his wish and was traded to the Miami Heat. Milwaukee got back Jaime Jacquez, Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis, a bevy of draft picks and Tyler Herro, who we mistakenly left our central division SG breakdown. Herro will give Milwaukee a much-needed focal point for their offense with his floor-spacing and shot creation ability.
Meanwhile Jacquez will provide the Bucks with secondary playmaking and a bulldozing drive-and-kick option in the halfcourt. Jacquez is a solid starting option, but, of course, no one can blame Bucks fans being disgruntled following so much change. Even with Herro and Jacquez on the wing, the Bucks still appear to be one of the weaker teams in the division and on equal footing with Chicago roster-wise.
The Indiana Pacers' big change was letting Myles Turner walk last offseason, and then waiting until late in the season to replace him. The Pacers tried to have their cake and eat it too, and while it didn't workout completely, they still solved their hole at center with the acquisition of Ivica Zubac. The rest of their core stayed mostly intact, including physical 3-and-D wing Aaron Nesmith.
We ranked Nesmith as the "worst" SF in the division, but the line between four and five is a thin one. Nesmith is a great defender despite not collecting high steal/block numbers. His 3-and-D moniker is an earned one, as he is a career 38% 3-point shooter.
Nesmith is strictly a floor-spacing, defender though. The lack of versatility in his game lands him at five in our rankings.
Detroit Pistons fans can take solace in the fact that they have the top PG, C and SF in the division in Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson. The 6-foot-7 Thompson led the NBA in steals per game (2.0) on his way to 2026 All-Defensive 1st Team honors. Thompson's status as one of the five best defenders in the league was on full display in his matchups with the Bulls.
Thompson struggled shooting from the field (45%) against the Bulls, but racked up 10 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 6.0 APG, 2.3 SPG and 1.0 BPG across three games.
Thompson is the only SF I rank ahead of Buzelis in the division, as I ranked Buzelis second ahead of new Cleveland Cavalier Peyton Watson.
Jan 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forwardMatasBuzelis(14) dunks against Denver Nuggets forwardPeytonWatson(8) during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Similar to Watson, Buzelis is a wing who can space the floor, attack the basket off the dribble and provide rim protection on defense. It is clear the Watson did these things against a higher level of competition for the 54-win Nuggets in last year's Western Conference. But Buzelis had a higher usage rate, block rate, and assist rate, while generally shouldering more responsibility for his team.
Watson had a slightly higher true shooting percentage, shooting better at the rim and from 3-point range. Buzelis was more aggressive than Watson in both areas, attempting more 3-pointers (6.4 to 3.6) per game and getting a higher percentage of his FGAs at the rim (31.9% to 24.4%).
These rankings include a bit of projection. Watson just signed a four-year, $88 million deal with the Cavaliers, and a fair argument can be made that he is better than Buzelis today. But by the time the 2026-27 season is over, I believe Buzelis will have truly refined his shot selection and be an even more impactful defender. With Watson and Buzelis already being close in my eyes, my projected Year 3 leap for Buzelis places him firmly behind Thompson in the central division SF hierarchy.
