CHICAGO — You could hear it in Bryson Graham’s nasally impression. He expected, if his first draft as lead executive of the Chicago Bulls went as he hoped it might, that the external criticism would call for more shooting.“A lot of people might (say), ‘Where’s the shooting at?’” Graham said after Tuesday’s first round of the NBA Draft. “I’m not typically worried about that right now. There’s a certain mentality and a certain profile and a way that coach Tiago (Splitter) and myself want to play, and we feel like today was a good layer for that.”On Day 1, Graham snagged North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and Texas wing Dailyn Swain at No. 15. He chose versatility. Ruggedness. Malleability. Two-way play. He chose his vision, which felt obvious with Wilson before he doubled down with Swain.The goal, at ground zero of the Bulls’ rebuild, seemingly wasn’t to draft pieces meant to complement the quirky, unfulfilled roster they inherited. This weeks-old regime drafted with its future mold in mind, selecting prospects who both emerged as the best players available based on its board and who fit the archetype Chicago wants to build with.“We’re definitely not where we want to be, but we’re establishing an identity,” Graham said. “I think that’s really important for this organization, especially where we’re at right now. Both Caleb and Dailyn, they fit the bill. We’re not addressing every skill yet.”Caleb Wilson blends power, explosiveness and coordination in a way other players can’tSam VecenieGraham is planning for the distance. When he walked into a building in shambles, he was handed a roster already littered with questionable shooting. Tre Jones and Josh Giddey in the backcourt, Isaac Okoro on the wing. Graham reached for upside, not a singular skill, because to do otherwise would mean bandaging a wound he didn’t create. Refurbishing a team-building vision that never belonged to him.To be sure, Wilson and Swain are different prospects.Wilson is an incredible 6-foot-10 athlete, as explosive as any in this draft class, who lived above the rim at North Carolina. He operated plenty out of the post and in transition, a high-flyer who dunked anything he pleased and shot jumpers almost exclusively on turnarounds. The baseline is his explosion and twitchiness, which should immediately make him an effective two-way, inside-the-arc creator.Swain was college basketball’s best self-creator, with unassisted buckets for days and such a fluid handle at 6-8. He projects as a wing who can defend multiple positions, capitalize on off-the-rails possessions with his rim pressure and potentially serve as a secondary ballhandler — a coveted archetype for competitive teams.They share their biggest question mark: outside shooting. Wilson didn’t need it to influence games, but it was essentially absent from his arsenal, making 25.9 percent of his 27 3-point attempts in 24 games. Swain improved but finished his junior season at Texas at just 34.4 percent on 2.6 attempts per game.
What Bulls 2026 draft signals about new regime, new direction
Chicago didn't address its biggest need — shooting — in the draft, but this wasn't about competing right away.















