This weekend marks the NCAA Final Four, the pinnacle of college basketball, and a defining stage for many prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft class.
After weeks of standout performances throughout the NCAA Tournament, several players have elevated their stock, forcing recent mock drafts to rethink who teams like the Chicago Bulls might look to select.
Before things tip off, it’s the perfect time to read the room. Let’s take a look at which prospects draft experts believe are now firmly on the Bulls’ radar, and who could be shaping their future come draft night.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesYahoo Sports: Kingston Flemings – Houston
We start off with Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports, who mocked a surprising pick to the Chicago Bulls—a guy no one really had on their radar before the NCAA Tournament. With the ninth pick in his mock draft, the Bulls select Kingston Flemings out of Houston.
The reason Flemings always felt out of reach was because he had seemingly played himself into being a top-five caliber prospect, while the Bulls were never quite bad enough to land in that range without some major lottery help. What’s changed now is Chicago’s shift toward tanking, combined with a few players jumping ahead of Flemings in the top five.
That said, being possibly selected later doesn’t take away from what he brings to the table. Flemings projects as the best defensive guard in this draft class. At just 19 years old, he averaged 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds while shooting 39% from 3-point range. He also put up 1.5 steals per game and had just one game all season without recording a steal.
He’s not just a lockdown defender either, he’s shown some serious scoring flashes. The best example came against Texas Tech, where he exploded for 42 points, six assists, and two steals, accounting for over half of Houston’s total points.
Houston Freshman Kingston Flemings vs No. 12 Texas Tech: 42 PTS | 15-26 FG | 6 AST | 38 MINS pic.twitter.com/n3ScWFTDRV
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) January 24, 2026O’Connor described his fit in Chicago like this:
“For a team like the Bulls that has a ton of guards on the roster but no clear-cut future starter, Flemings has the qualities that are worth investing in. And unlike in Houston, he’d have some far more talented supporting pieces by his side in Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.”
© Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesSB Nation: Mikel Brown Jr. – Louisville
While he may not have played in his first, and likely only, NCAA Tournament, Mikel Brown Jr. is another top-five caliber prospect who’s slipping a bit due to recency bias. That’s how he ended up available at No. 11 in Ricky O’Donnell’s latest mock draft, where the Chicago Bulls scoop him up.
In his freshman year, he put up 18 points, five assists, three rebounds, and a steal per game. And when he gets hot, it’s a spectacle. His best showing came against NC State, where he dropped 45 points, grabbed nine boards, and added three steals, all on efficiency that would leave your jaw on the floor.
Mikel Brown Jr. went NUCLEAR vs NC State: 45 PTS | 10-16 3PT | 9 REB | 14-23 FG pic.twitter.com/gI7HMvIMTS
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) February 10, 2026The big concern, though, is his health. Brown missed double-digit games with a back injury, and that’s likely the main reason he’s slipping out of the top ten. If the Bulls do take him, there’s real hesitation about whether their medical staff can manage his recovery properly, especially in a draft class loaded with less risky guard options.
At the end of the day, availability is the best ability.
© David Leong-Imagn ImagesBleacher Report: Labaron Philon Jr. – Alabama
After a trade deadline of being labeled the “guard-only” Chicago Bulls, mock drafts are finally starting to reflect a different reality: the team may have plenty of guards, but very few with real star upside. In his latest mock, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has Chicago selecting Labaron Philon with the 10th pick.
Among the guards projected in the lottery, Philon separates himself in one key way: progression. He’s the only one who’s shown a real leap. After putting up 11 points and four assists on 31% from 3 as a freshman, he made a huge jump to 22 points, five assists, and 40% from deep. That kind of improvement wasn’t just noticeable, it was unexpected.
And even after already establishing himself as a lottery-level talent, he elevated his game even further when it mattered most. In the Round of 64, he dropped 29 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Then in the Sweet 16, he followed it up with 35 points, seven rebounds, and four assists against one of the best teams in the country.
Labaron Philon against Michigan in the Sweet 16:35 PTS | 10-21 FG | 6-14 3PT | 7 REB | 4 AST | 39 MINS pic.twitter.com/RDWKcqptFQ
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 28, 2026Of course, he’s not without flaws. He’s slightly older than teams typically prefer for a lottery pick, and his frame is still on the weaker side. While the Bulls would absolutely benefit from his offensive skill set, pairing him with someone like Josh Giddey could create even more defensive concerns, making roster construction trickier moving forward.
Wasserman described him like this:
“His identity still revolves around dribble creativity and getting to spots. Philon has dangerous change of speed, deceleration ability, and handles, and now he’s a more advanced isolation and ball-screen scorer with his pull-up game and craft around the rim.”
© Eakin Howard-Imagn ImagesHeavy.com : Brayden Burries – Arizona
Unlike the players mentioned above, Brayden Burries always felt like he would fall right into the Chicago Bulls’ range, largely due to a slow start to his college career. But once he found his rhythm, everything changed. With Burries leading the way, the Arizona Wildcats reached new heights, winning both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, and putting themselves in position to chase a treble in the NCAA Tournament.
He’s a proven winner, and just as importantly, he’s shown he can thrive alongside other talented players, two traits you absolutely want in a top-ten pick. On top of that, he’s been one of the most efficient scorers you’ll find, shooting an absurd 68% from three over a four-game stretch leading into the Final Four. He’s also an underrated rebounder and has shown he can impact winning in multiple ways.
In fact, he’s been so good that a player who once felt like a consensus pick in Chicago’s range might now be playing himself out of it entirely by the time draft night rolls around.
Brayden Burries was impressive in Arizona's Sweet 16 win over Arkansas. Burries finished with 23 points on 7-11 shooting in the blowout win. pic.twitter.com/HySOwxcP8g
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 27, 2026Sean Deveney of Heavy.com described Brayden’s ceiling like this:
“He’s a 6-foot-4 two-way combo guard who can hold his own on an NBA floor from the get-go, but the hope is that he develops into a solid starting point guard.“
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