The Chicago Bulls’ 2025-26 season has been a rollercoaster-and not the fun kind. After opening the year with a 6-1 record and looking like a team finally turning the corner, they've come crashing back to earth with a 3-11 stretch that’s exposed just about every flaw in the foundation. What started as a high-efficiency, high-energy squad with top-tier ball movement and a stingy defense has unraveled into a team struggling to defend, rebound, and even beat the league’s bottom-feeders.
A Tale of Two Bulls
Let’s rewind to the start of the season. The Bulls were flying.
They had seven to nine players scoring in double figures on any given night. They were pushing the pace, leading the league in assists, and locking down on defense.
It wasn’t just winning basketball-it was sustainable, team-first basketball. The kind that gets fans talking about playoff potential and maybe even a top-four seed.
But that version of the Bulls feels like a distant memory now.
Since that hot start, Chicago has dropped 10 of its last 13 games. The defense, once a strength, has completely fallen apart.
They're now bottom-three in defensive efficiency and points allowed. And the paint?
It’s open for business. No team in the NBA gives up more points inside, and opposing big men are feasting nightly.
The Frontcourt Problem
At the heart of the Bulls’ defensive issues is a glaring lack of interior presence. Nikola Vucevic, still a skilled offensive big, has become a liability on the defensive end.
He’s offering little-to-no rim protection, and opposing teams know it. The Bulls are regularly forced to throw undersized forwards like Matas Buzelis and Patrick Williams into matchups against elite bigs-think Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Zion Williamson, Lauri Markkanen, and Evan Mobley.
That’s not just a mismatch-it’s a recipe for disaster. These matchups have consistently exposed Chicago’s soft underbelly: no size, no rim deterrence, and no answers.
The Coby White Conundrum
One of the more curious developments this season has been the timing of Coby White’s return. White was arguably the Bulls’ most consistent player over the last two years. But since coming back from injury this season, the team is just 2-3 in his five games-and those two wins came on buzzer-beaters against the Trail Blazers and Wizards, two teams at the bottom of the standings.
White is a high-usage, ball-dominant guard. And while his scoring punch is valuable, his return has coincided with a noticeable drop in the team’s assist totals and overall ball movement.
The Bulls’ offense has become more stagnant, and their early-season rhythm-built on unselfish play and quick decision-making-has taken a hit. Add in the fact that White is a below-average defender, and his return has only compounded the team’s defensive woes.
What Went Wrong?
So what exactly changed after that 6-1 start?
- Ball Movement Vanished: The Bulls were among the league leaders in assists early in the season.
That’s dipped significantly. Their transition game has slowed, largely because they’re not getting stops or securing defensive rebounds.
No stops, no run-outs, no easy buckets.
- Defensive Collapse: Teams are attacking the Bulls off the dribble and getting to the rim with ease.
And once they get there, there’s no resistance. Vucevic isn’t deterring shots, and the perimeter defenders aren’t holding their ground.
It’s a bad combination.
- Regression to the Mean: Several players who looked like they’d taken a step forward early on have come back down to earth. What once looked like a team-wide leap in development now feels more like a hot streak that fizzled out.
The Bigger Picture
At one point, the Bulls were 5-0, sitting atop the East, and boasting a top-10 offense and defense. It was their best start since the 1996-97 season.
But that momentum has completely evaporated. Now, they’re 21st in offensive rating, 23rd in defense, and looking more like a lottery team than a playoff contender.
The locker room vibe has shifted too. Billy Donovan’s message doesn’t seem to be resonating the way it once did.
Whether that’s fatigue, frustration, or just the natural course of a team that’s stuck in the middle, it’s clear something’s off. And if the slide continues, the question of Donovan’s job security will only grow louder.
Is There Hope?
The good news: reinforcements are on the way. Dalen Terry and Zach Collins-two of the team’s better defenders-are expected to return soon. Their presence could help stabilize the defense and bring some much-needed grit to a team that’s been getting bullied in the paint.
But make no mistake: this isn’t a quick fix. The Bulls have real issues to address, particularly in the frontcourt. If they want to salvage the season, they’ll need more than just a couple of healthy bodies-they’ll need a renewed commitment to defense, smarter rotations, and a return to the unselfish, high-tempo basketball that made them so dangerous out of the gate.
For now, the Bulls are at a crossroads. The early promise is gone, but the season isn’t. The question is whether they can rediscover the version of themselves that looked like a legitimate threat-or if this downward spiral is the new normal.