Which 2026 NBA Draft Prospect Could be Best for Bulls?

He’s a physical combo forward who should be able to offer positional versatility with inside scoring, an improving 3-point shot and elite defense. 

While the two others may have higher pure upside, Boozer is destined to be a positively impactful player at all levels of basketball with his intangibles.

2. AJ Dybantsa, BYU

A 6-foot-9 handling wing, Dybantsa’s No. 1 case will be built around his scoring. He has a connected movement style that allows him to dive bomb the paint, and score with seamless jumpers in the mid and long-range.

With his size and feel, he should be able to hit in ancillary skills like defense and passing, too.

Dybantsa just edges out Boozer here largely due to the Bulls’ affinity for this archetype in recent years. While his comparison to Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue isn’t 1-to-1, he does fit the very same fluid wing role, which Chicago obviously wants to hit on.

1. Darryn Peterson, Kansas

Ranked the No. 1 player in the class for many heading into the season, Darryn Peterson is one of the more polished guard prospects we’ve seen in years.

At 6-foot-5, he’s a three-level scoring savant, able to get downhill with smooth movement and elite finishing, or spray from beyond the arc with a clean jumper. He has solid athleticism, good defense for a guard of his stature, and the play-making chops to potentially moonlight as a point guard some of the time.

While the consistency of Boozer or upside of Dybantsa would be tantalizing for Chicago, grabbing a centrifugal backcourt piece would make sense given the current roster construction of Buzelis, Essengue and potentially Josh Giddey.