NBA mock draft: Chicago Bulls swing on star guard

In a recent mock draft, Chicago took a chance on a potential star guard.

Jan 18, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA;Oklahoma Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears (0) during a play against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bulls present one of the more direction-less franchises in the league at the moment, owning a patchworked swath of young and win-now players.

As it stands now, the team is 20-28, good for the ninth-worst record in the league and what should become a top-10 draft pick. But, with a current core of Zach LaVine, Nikola Vukcevic, Coby White and Josh Giddey, it could likely still benefit from fully sending and building through the NBA Draft. The team’s sole developmental pick at the moment is forward Matas Buzelis, who was selected No. 11 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. 

At the 2025 NBA Draft, the team could again swing on a more project-y player with a sky-high ceiling.

In a recent mock draft posted to YouTube, the Bulls swung on Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears with the No. 9 pick. You can watch the full video below:

At around 6-foot-3, Fears is a true freshman guard helping to lead the Sooners through the SEC. Across his 20 games so far, he’s been an elite scorer relative to age, adding just a hair under 16 points on 46% shooting. He’s shot just 27% from three, which at surface level isn’t ideal, but is even more a testament to his skill inside the arc as a handler and finisher.

Additionally, he’s added 3.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists — albeit with 3.6 turnovers — and has made his mark on the defensive end of the court at 1.8 steals per game.

All in all, Fears is a work in progress in a number of areas like defense, passing and general shot-selection and decision-making, but there’s no denying his potential star outcome as an elite guard able to generate paint touches with shiftiness.

For the Bulls, Fears would offer the first high-level, blue chip point guard prospect selected in some time. There would be no immediate need for Fears to see success or even extended minutes in the rotation, instead being allowed to develop as the floor general of the future.

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