The G League season is set to open Friday night in Hoffman Estates, and the Bulls have put together a Windy City roster that gives Chicago fans a few names worth tracking a little more closely than usual.
That’s not because this group is loaded with sure-fire NBA pieces. It isn’t.
But with the Bulls sitting at 1-7 and Bryson Graham now steering the front office, the organization has clearly shifted into a different gear. Chicago also appears ready to lean harder on its G League operation than it has in the past, and Graham moved quickly to reshape that side of the program by naming a new general manager and reworking the coaching staff.
Former Bulls player and NCAA assistant Quincy Pondexter gets his first crack at head coach duties.
Among the players to watch, Jaylin Sellers stands out as the one with the clearest path to sticking. The two-way guard has already made an impression in Chicago, earning a steady role in Summer League and appearing in five regular season games this season.
He even turned in a 14-point outing against the New York Knicks, knocking down four threes. A rookie out of Providence, Sellers brings speed, strength, and the kind of nonstop energy this new-look Bulls group seems to value.
He’s still rough around the edges, but the defensive flashes and motor are real, and he looks like the best bet on this roster to become a long-term piece.
Tobe Awaka is a different kind of prospect, but one with a skill that already jumps off the page. Tiago Splitter has praised the rookie’s rebounding on both ends, and it’s easy to see why.
Awaka spent four years in college between Tennessee and Arizona, then averaged 9.1 boards per game as a senior. He isn’t the tallest player on the floor, but he plays with serious strength and has a knack for finding the right spots to create second-chance opportunities.
Awaka even said he studies film of his teammates to learn where their shots tend to carom off the rim. His size and lack of versatility could limit his NBA ceiling, but the rebounding should keep him in the conversation.
Jordan Hawkins brings the most NBA mileage of the group. The former No. 14 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has already played in 178 NBA games with 28 starts since New Orleans took him out of UConn.
The shot hasn’t translated the way many expected, though, with Hawkins averaging 7.8 points and shooting 34.5 percent from three in that span. Still, he has the kind of pure shooting touch and positional size that make a fresh start interesting.
At 24, he also has real experience to lean on. Graham, notably, was part of the Pelicans front office when Hawkins was drafted.
Marquel Sutton joined the Bulls during Training Camp after spending Summer League with the Sacramento Kings organization and posting a couple of strong outings there. His path has been a long one: JUCO, then three seasons at Omaha, then a move to LSU in 2025-26.
At LSU, he averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The six-foot-nine forward has more offensive skill than you might expect, and if the three-pointer starts falling more consistently, he could work his way onto the NBA radar.
Grant Newell fits the mold Chicago seems to like. The former Western Kentucky forward is six-foot-eight and 220 pounds, and as a former Whitney Young player, he should have no shortage of local support.
He’ll have to climb a steep hill to earn a real NBA opportunity, but the size-mobility combo is appealing. Newell also got to the free throw line often in his senior season and shot 35.2 percent from deep.
Peter Suder is another name that drew some draft buzz before settling into this spot. Some believed the Miami of Ohio guard might hear his name on Day 2 of the NBA Draft after he helped fuel the school’s breakout season.
He posted 14.2 points, 4.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54.6 percent from the field and hitting 40 of 95 from three. Suder doesn’t bring elite athleticism or the highest ceiling, but his feel for the game and ability to contribute both on and off the ball give him a real chance to earn NBA attention down the line.
The full Windy City Bulls group also includes Jalen Bridges, Houston Mallette, Remy Martin, DJ Patrick, Drew Peterson, Orlando Robinson, and Isaiah Stevens alongside the six names worth monitoring most closely.
In Other News...
Bulls Linked To A Defensive Guard With One Huge Top Pick Concern
The early buzz around the 2027 draft has already started to circle back to Chicago, and one name tied to the Bulls is Arkansas freshman guard Smith. Jonathan Wassermans latest mock has the 6-foot-2 prospect landing with the Bulls near the top of the board, which is enough to get attention given the franchises need to keep adding young talent with two-way upside. Smith arrived with a reputation built on strong high school production, and his first taste of college ball hinted at why evaluators are intrigued.
What makes him such a compelling fit is also what keeps the conversation from getting too far ahead of itself. Smith showed defensive strength and enough scoring pop to look like a real lottery-level prospect, but the next step is proving his decision-making and shooting can hold up against NBA pressure. For a Bulls team watching the draft landscape this far out, the appeal is obvious, even if the biggest question around him is still very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Already Face A Tough Call With Dailyn Swain And The Frontcourt
The Bulls are taking a measured approach with Dailyn Swain as the season opens, with head coach Tiago Splitter saying the No. 15 overall pick will be assigned to the G League. It is the kind of early developmental decision that can be easy to overlook in October, but for Chicago it speaks to how carefully the team wants to handle a young player who has had limited NBA minutes and is still working through the adjustment period.
Chicagos frontcourt picture adds another layer to the decision. Jalen Smith is dealing with a wrist injury, though there is optimism he could be back soon, and the Bulls are also waiting on Nic Claxton to return and help stabilize the defense. For a team trying to balance immediate rotation needs with long-term growth, the timing of Swains assignment only sharpens the questions up front. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Have A Bigger Problem Than Their 1-7 Record
The early-season record is ugly enough, but the deeper concern around the Bulls is how completely they have been overwhelmed on both ends of the floor. Through the first stretch of the 2026-27 season, Chicago has struggled to score efficiently, has been leaky defensively and has not shown the kind of consistent effort that usually gives a young team a chance to survive rough patches.
There is still a long season ahead, and that is the one thing working in the Bulls favor. With a roster built around youth, the hope is that the group can stabilize as the schedule goes on, but right now the bigger issue is not just losing games - it is how historically lopsided those losses have been, and how much ground Chicago has already dug itself before the season has even settled in. [Read more 🡒]