The Chicago Bulls need to head into the 2026 NBA Draft looking for "best player available" at every single pick they possess. Whether it is 4th overall, 15th overall, or one of the Bulls two 2nd round picks at 38th and 56th overall, they should be looking to stack talent rather than fill a need.

Chicago could trade down if they are not in love with whichever top-4 prospect falls to four. Or they could stay at four and look to move up with their 15th overall pick to grab an unexpected faller or "fill a need." 

The quotes are around "fill a need," are apt in this case, as the 31-51 Bulls technically have quite a few needs after finishing the season 25th in Offensive Rating (112.1) and 22nd in Defensive Rating (117.4). 

Because the Bulls are a bit more a blank slate than even I expected after reassessing things, I believe they should be open to a wide variety of player archetypes, even with the team clearly searching for a No. 1 scoring option and a starting-caliber center. 

Whether Chicago drafts a guard, a power forward who can play some center, or a player who strictly players the four, there are ways they can be helpful to the Bulls' rotation. That is what brings me to Washington big man Hannes Steinbach. 

Steinbach has been one of my favorite prospects, a player I really enjoyed watching during the NCAA regular season. As time went on, I started to worry if he truly had the size and physicality to play NBA center full time, but 2026 NBA Draft Combine official measurements went a long way towards helping the perception of Steinbach at the NBA level. 

Standing at just over 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and a 9-foot standing reach, Steinbach's combine measurements erased any doubt about his ability to play center at the NBA level.

His defense--which we'll get to later--still leaves some concerns about him as your starting center, but the measurements and his strong offensive game should ease those concerns. 

Hannes Steinbach is a truly prolific rebounder. Not a good one, not a great one, a prolific one.

His rebounding is otherworldly stuff. Steinbach tied for second in the country in offensive rebounds at 4.2 per game, and he led the nation in rebounds at 11.8 per game.

He uses his broad shoulders and impeccable timing getting the ball of the rim to bully opponents once a shot goes up. 

Steinbach's nose for the ball on the offensive glass would really help a Bulls team that ranked in the bottom-5 in Offensive Rebound Rate last season.

If there was one word I could use to describe Steinbach's offensive game, it would be: simple.

Although he prefers to do his work in the paint or off of offensive rebounds, Steinbach possesses the ability to drive to the rim from the perimeter as long as it takes two-to-three dribbles. If he can't get all the way to the basket, he does have a nice midrange shot that he doesn't go to often. But the majority of his game is about punishing opponents inside. He possesses an array of hook shots, fadeaways, up-and-unders and overall varied moves inside the paint that led to him shooting 61.8% on 2-point FGAs, a huge part of his 18.5 PPG. 

The reason Steinbach's offensive game will translate to the NBA is it is an interesting blend of power and finesse. He shot 75.9% from the free throw line and 34% from the 3-point line (1.8 attempts per game), and the tape shows a player who projects to be a floor spacer at the NBA level. 

At the NBA level Steinbach projects to be a player you can pretty much do anything with on offense. While not possessing amazing handles, he has enough skill to start the fastbreak or initiate an attack from the perimeter. His great screen-setting ability and high basketball IQ will show up in handoff and fake handoff plays. And most importantly, Steinbach's developing 3-point shot would get a boost playing next to Josh Giddey's playmaking and the defensive attention drawn by Caleb Wilson/Cameron Boozer/whoever the Bulls take at 4th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Defensively is where essentially all of my doubts about Steinbach working out at the NBA level come from. Despite possessing a large frame, he did occasionally get bullied in the paint by other bigs. He did show a tremendous amount of fight whether or not he was outmatched physically, averaging 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. 

As one would expect, most of Steinbach's defensive value came from his excellent defensive rebounding. He led the Big Ten with a 25.9% Defensive Rebound Rate and 19.7% Total Rebound Rate, the highest figure among any prospect in my top-20 rankings. 

The big issue is that Steinbach is not great when comes to staying in front of ballhandlers in pick-and-roll coverage, even in limited moments where he needs to show or commit a hard hedge. The lack of foot speed and lateral movement leads to moments where he ends up giving up a straight line drive. 

As long as Steinbach's NBA teammates fight hard over screens and communicate, they should allow him to stay out of disadvantageous positions. If Steinbach and his next team can work together to keep him out of mismatches, his ability to end a defensive possession the old fashion way will make him a strong contributor right out of the gate.