Jaylin Sellers has a clear blueprint if he wants to turn his Bulls opportunity into something bigger, and it starts with defense.
That’s the lane the undrafted guard needs to study as Chicago heads into its 2026-27 season: Jamal Shead. The Toronto Raptors guard didn’t arrive in the league with a lot of noise around him, but after going 45th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, he turned himself into a real success story. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Shead landed a three-year, $24 million contract extension from the Raptors.
For Sellers, that kind of rise is the point. He joined the Bulls on a two-way contract after an encouraging pre-draft run and a 2026 NBA Draft that ended with Chicago giving him a shot. As an undrafted player, the path ahead is steep, but his summer league performance gave the Bulls enough reason to think there may be something worth developing.
What makes Shead such a useful comparison is the part of the game that travels anywhere: point-of-attack defense. Through his first two NBA seasons, Shead has built a reputation as a strong on-ball defender, and Basketball Reference lists him at 1.5 steals per 36 minutes over that span.
That matters because a guard who can stay in front of the ball changes everything behind him. When the first defender can hold his ground, the rest of the defense can get more aggressive, jump passing lanes, and create the turnovers that lead to easy points.
That’s the route Sellers should be chasing if he wants real traction in Chicago. The Bulls don’t have a long-term, dependable point-of-attack defender, and Sellers could carve out a lasting place in the organization if he develops into that kind of player - even the best on-ball defender the Bulls have had since Alex Caruso.
In Other News...
Matas Buzelis Sees A Different Bulls Team Taking Shape
Matas Buzelis opened training camp sounding like a young player who has already felt the difference between a team searching for answers and one trying to build something sturdier. After a season in which Chicago was sorting through change, the second-year forward said the tone around the organization has shifted, with more intensity and a clearer sense of purpose as the Bulls move through an overhaul and into a new phase of the rebuild.
Buzelis also spoke with the patience of someone focused on the long game, stressing that his own approach is to keep improving every day and help wherever he can. For a roster trying to establish itself, that matters as much as any single skill point. The real test now is whether the early signs of order and accountability can hold once the games start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Jordan Weighed In On A Bulls Reality Fans Know Too Well
Michael Jordans latest remarks offered a familiar kind of reminder for Bulls fans: the game has changed around the franchise, but the standard he set has not. Speaking at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, Jordan said modern sports betting and the nonstop statistical noise of todays NBA would not have altered how he approached basketball. His emphasis, as ever, was on winning, studying opponents and staying locked in on the next challenge rather than getting pulled into everything swirling around the game.
Jordan also touched on how different the current landscape would feel for players now, with social media adding a layer of scrutiny his era never had to deal with. For a franchise still measured against his shadow, the comments hit on a reality Chicago knows well, even if the details of how he would navigate todays betting-heavy environment remain his to spell out another time. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Preseason Opener Already Puts Their Rebuild Under Pressure
The Bulls are barely into preseason, and the mood around the opener against the Suns already feels more about survival than evaluation. Before the first practice even got going, Zach Collins was hurt, while Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis are expected to get the first look in the starting group as Chicago begins sorting through a roster that still has more questions than answers.
Chicago also moved quickly to address its depth, bringing in Jordan Hawkins to fill the last roster spot. The early injuries only sharpen the pressure on a team trying to make its rebuild look like progress, and the next few days will say plenty about how much the Bulls can learn before the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]