A new mock draft has the Chicago Bulls passing over one of the top PG prospects, and one of the better SG prospects--a local one at that--in favor of a young center prospect, would this be the right call?
As we reach the end of the college basketball regular season, more eyes will naturally turn to the sport. March Madness always generates a ton of new viewers, and a large swath of those viewers are actually NBA fans who are scoping out potential 2026 NBA Draft picks. Chicago Bulls fans will almost certainly be locked in on college basketball in March, as the Bulls have lost a whopping 10 games in a row and sit at 9th in the lottery odds--with a 20.3% chance at a top-4 pick and a 4.5% chance at the No. 1 pick--at the time of this writing.
A new mock draft from SB Nation's Ricky O'Donell has the Chicago Bulls passing over one of the top PG prospects, and one of the better SG prospects--a local one at that--in favor of a young center prospect, would this be the right call?
Acuff is the latest John Calipari point guard, and we, of course, know the long, long history of Calipari guards succeeding in the NBA. Tyrese Maxey, Jamal Murray, Immanuel Quickley, and Chicago legend Derrick Rose and many more all found varying levels of success once they hit the league. There are some misses mixed in, but history says you can't go wrong taking a PG coached up by Calipari, especially one with the aggressiveness, speed, and skill level of the 6-foot-3 Acuff.
At the time of this writing, Acuff is averaging 22.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.2 APG and shooting 44.1% from the 3-point line on 5.6 attempts per game. He is as dynamic of a floor general as you will find in the draft, but there is reason to question the fit next to Josh Giddey.
Keaton Wagler is in my opinion, the other notable prospect that the Bulls pass on in this mock, and not just because he plays for the Fighting Illini. Wagler is a lanky, 6-foot-6 SG, who is a bit thin at a listed 185 lbs. But that hasn't stopped Wagler from being one of the more impressive scorers in the nation.
The Illinois freshman is averaging 18.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.3 APG and is shooting 42% from the 3-point line 6.3 attempts per game. Wagler is also averaging 6.3 FTA per game, showing an impressive ability to score on the most efficient shots in basketball, which explains his 62% True Shooting Percentage. Similar to Acuff, it's hard to imagine Giddey-Wagler being a perfect fit, but the shooting could make things work long term.
The prospect the Bulls select in this mock is 6-foot-11, 250 lbs., Duke sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II.
He is an impressive defensive prospect who can move his feet surprisingly well for a player with such a massive frame. Ngongba II is averaging 1.2 blocks per game for a Duke Blue Devils team that ranks No. 1 in the nation in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency per KenPom at 89.1 points given up per 100 possessions (adjusted for opponent).
Ngongba II is also a solid passer (2.0 APG) for a big who is almost solely focused on defense and obliterating opponents in the paint on offense (shooting 66.9% from the field on 2-point shots) and defense.
There are certainly a group of Bulls fans who would be disappointed passing on a high-level playmaker like Acuff, or a local product with deep range like Wagler, but it is undeniable that Ngongba II would play a fairly large role or the Bulls right away even for the notoriously-tough-on-rookies Billy Donovan. Whether the Bulls go fit or best player available (BPA) will be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow as we get closer to the NBA Draft Lottery.