Bulls locked in on their draft favorite?

David Banks - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Tuesday, June 03 2025

With the NBA Finals set to begin on Thursday, the conclusion of the 2024-25 season is nearing. Once the Finals are completed, the 2025 NBA offseason can begin as Free Agency, and the draft will be happening before you know. Sticking with the draft for a little while, the Chicago Bulls are in a position to draft another franchise-caliber player as they hold the No. 12 pick in what is expected to be one of the deepest and most talented drafts in quite some time.

We have already discussed some of the targets the Bulls are considering, as it appears they are looking to target Small Forward or Power Forward types. The last time they went out and got a power forward not named Matas Buzelis, it was Patrick Williams, who appears to be a bust. Hoping to avoid that situation again, the Bulls are pulling out all the stops to find the perfect prospect to fit this organization.

That prospect could be former BYU guard Egor Demin, who is starting to gain some steam after a strong pre-workout showing. Demin is one of those mystery-type players who has a similar body build to Buzelis and has the potential to be a special player. There is a reason he went from being a late first-round pick to potentially being selected No. 12, as he has moved to the top of the Bulls' list in terms of the players Chicago is considering taking.

Longtime Bulls reporter Joe Cowley had this to say about Demin and his connection to Chicago.

"I’m going to go over a list of names that I’m hearing who are on the Bulls’ radar, and it starts with the No. 1 guy on their radar. And I know people are going to say, ‘Why the hell are they looking at a nighter guard?’ Egor Demin is not your typical guard,” Cowley said.

The one thing about what Cowley said that stands out the most is that Demin is most certainly a jumbo guard as he stands at 6-9. Considering that Josh Giddey is a 6-8 guard and Lonzo Ball is a 6-5 guard, having all three on the Bulls' roster would potentially yield the biggest point guard trio in the NBA.

Throw in that size with an even bigger wingspan, and Demin has the potential to play multiple positions, and that alone makes him an intriguing prospect. Yes, he may be a guard by trade, but given his size, you could see him play either one of the guard spots and both forward positions, as he would give the Bulls a player who could play multiple positions.

That type of versatility is crucial for any organization, and it wasn't until recently that the Bulls started to focus more on versatility as opposed to players who play one specific position. Despite the versatility factor, Demin is still at his best with the ball in his hands, as he averaged 5.5 assists as a freshman last season.

When you look at his tape, there are a lot of things to love about his game, but also some things that need improvement. The things to love about his game is that Demin loves to push the pace and create transition opportunities in the open floor. The Bulls often played as one of the fastest teams in the league, so that alone would play right into the hands of what this team loves to do on offense.

One of the negatives about his game is the inconsistent shooting, especially from distance, as he shot a mere 27%.3 % from beyond the arc. In hindsight, Buzelis shot only 28.6% before arriving in Chicago and emerged as one of the team's more consistent outside shooters last season. There is no reason not to believe that Demin couldn't do the same, but with Peter Patton out of the picture, it will be interesting to see who takes over as the team's shooting coach.