With the 2025 NBA Draft nearing, the Chicago Bulls have found themselves with another lottery pick, the 12th overall pick. In the aftermath of G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis’ surprising debut season that excelled for the Charlotte Hornets, the Bulls want to accomplish that again this season by adding another high-upside prospect to their young core of stars.
Per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls are “zoning in on” Egor Demin —the rapidly ascending BYU big man in this year’s draft. Demin wowed scouts and executives at the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month, skyrocketing his stock and possibly soaring out of Chicago’s range by vaulting into the top 10.
Who is Egor Demin?
Just such a skyscraper at 6-foot-9 is Demin, a guard and one of a kind in terms of versatility and play-making. Played his only season of NCAA DI basketball at BYU, starting all 33 games and averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. His shooting percentages (41.2% FG, 27.3% 3PT, 69.5% FT) indicate that he’s a work in progress, but his court awareness and playmaking ability for a guy his size have drawn the attention of a number of NBA front offices.
His 5.5 assists per game as a freshman in college emphasize his playmaking potential at his size in particular. At nearly 6’9” and playing as a lead ball-handler, Demin has the more modern big guard archetypes, and those players could be useful players in today’s NBA.
Will he be available at 12?
The story for the Bulls is going to be all about whether or not Demin is still available when it is their turn to pick. With his impressive performance at the Combine, there’s increased speculation that Demin could hear his name called in the top 10, which would leave the Blackhawks needing to adjust and answer the bell with another prospect. However, sources said the Bulls are very high on Demin and will be monitoring how the draft board falls closely.
That’s now the second year in a row the Bulls have gotten a lottery pick, but with the nucleus for a young core already in place, it appears as though Chicago is making a clear commitment to building through the draft for the future. Whether that’s Demin or another breakout star, the Bulls need to find a player who can contribute right away.
