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Jun
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'Better than Giddey': Does Bulls draft hinder Josh?
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Bill Simmons praised Chicago's draft but believes Dailyn Swain could challenge Josh Giddey's role.
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One of the biggest voices in NBA media has labelled Josh Giddey's Chicago Bulls as the "winners" of the 2026 NBA Draft but could it come at a cost for the Australian star point guard?
In one of the most stacked drafts in years, the Bulls selected Caleb Wilson from the University of North Carolina with the fourth pick and Texas Longhorns talent Dailyn Swain with the 15th pick.
Most expect Wilson, who was only beaten out of the top three by AJ Dybantsa as well as Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer, to become a superstar for the franchise Michael Jordan made famous but Swain, a 20-year-old guard who can play the forward position, could also be a significant piece for Chicago's future.
Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons Podcast and The Ringer broke down the Bulls' selections on his latest episode.
"Winner quickly, Chicago, they get Wilson at number four with a chip on his shoulder," Simmons said on the episode with J Kyle Mann.
"I love Wilson, I just think I'm completely all 100% in.
"I'm all in, and he's the first legit bull star since Derek Rose, this kid has it.
"They'll probably build the team around him. They'll be playing up and down and everybody's going to love him and then they get Swain at 15.
"Kyle would you say this is your number one winner of the draft, Swain and Wilson together?"
Kyle Mann said he liked the combination of Wilson and Swain together and compared the former Longhorn to what Giddey brings to the Bulls, who are now led by Tiago Splitter as the new head coach.
"I think Dailyn Swain could be swappable for Josh Giddey," Mann said.
"I think he could end up being a better two-way player than Josh and do similar things, similar size, playmaker, athlete, and then he can play defence."
Simmons said Swain's selection was comparable to when the San Antonio Spurs drafted two-time champion Kawhi Leonard.
"Every year there's the Kawhi Leonard of, wow, this guy could just blank," he added.
"He'll be awesome. So with Swain, isn't it, if this guy can just, he can just figure out how to shoot, this kid's going to be awesome.
"He rebounds and defends, he runs the floor, he does everything else. But the shot is why he wasn't a lottery pick. So, what if he learns how to shoot, Kyle?"
Mann said he could see the Leonard comparison.
"He can really score. He's just got kind of a deliberate wind up shot. He can score and he has touch," he said.
"So, it's kind of, you kind of can talk yourself into it happening.
"But somebody was asking me about like 'who has the best handle in this class' and I was just like, Swain has some of the best dribble separation in the class.
"He's nasty. It's a great bet for Chicago."
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