The Chicago Bulls are staring down a stretch that could get messy in a hurry.
For a team already learning on the fly in a rebuild, the next 10 games look like a grind from top to bottom. The results so far have already included a rough opening-night loss to Toronto, the first win for Tiago Splitter as head coach in Milwaukee thanks to the bench, and then another stumble at the United Center that featured a bad third quarter and plenty of growing pains.
Even with that uneven start, the Bulls have had one thing making the first week easier to digest: Caleb Wilson. The rookie is off to the best start by a Bulls rookie since Michael Jordan, and that kind of production has helped soften the blow of the losses. But even Wilson’s hot start may not be enough to hide what’s coming next.
When the schedule came out, the early portion of Chicago’s slate already looked brutal. The roster wasn’t even fully set yet, but the shape of the opening month still stood out. In the Bulls’ first 13 games, there’s almost no breathing room.
It starts with how often they’re away from home. Six of Chicago’s first eight games are on the road, which is the most since the shortened 2011-12 season.
And the opponents are no picnic either. The Bulls’ next six games are all against the reigning champion Knicks, the revamped 76ers, and the always-competitive Celtics.
After that, the slate only keeps rolling. Chicago will have to deal with Victor Wembanyama, the emerging Hawks, the undefeated Timberwolves, and a reigning Eastern Conference Finals participant.
Have mercy (and not in the Uncle Jesse from Full House kind of way)!
There is a silver lining here: a run like this can teach a young roster plenty. But if the losses pile up, staying locked in becomes a real test.
That’s where Splitter’s role gets bigger. He’ll need to keep the locker room steady if the schedule starts going sideways.
Wilson, though, sounds like a player who already understands the challenge.
“Day-by-day," Wilson said of how to handle the upcoming slate. "Every matchup is its own thing … Every game we go out there with the approach that we need to be great players and do what we need to because it’s about us.”
The next stop is Monday night at TD Garden against the revamped Celtics. Boston comes in after an opening-day loss to the Pistons, then a 107-103 win over the Knicks in which Jayson Tatum and Paul George bounced back strongly.
In Other News...
Caleb Wilson Is Giving Bulls Fans Real Hope Before A Brutal Test
Caleb Wilsons first week in the league did not begin the way the Bulls imagined when they made him the fourth overall pick in the 2026 draft, but it has already started to look a lot more like the kind of arrival Chicago was hoping for. After a rough NBA debut, the rookie has shown clear growth, and his breakout performance against Washington gave the Bulls a real glimpse of why they were willing to invest so heavily in him.
For a team trying to build something without superstar firepower, that matters. Tiago Splitter has made it clear that every minute has to be earned and that the Bulls will lean on competition and accountability as they navigate a tough stretch ahead, with young players like Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue learning how quickly roles can change. In that kind of environment, Wilsons development is becoming one of the biggest reasons to keep watching, even before the schedule gets any harsher. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Loss Got Even More Frustrating After Caleb Wilson Confirmation
The closing seconds of the Bulls recent loss now carry even more sting after the NBAs Last Two Minute Report backed up what many watching at the time already suspected. What looked like a decisive defensive stand turned into one of those late-game moments that can linger long after the final buzzer, especially when the result is a defeat Chicago could have used to its advantage.
Caleb Wilson was at the center of the sequence, and the missed whistle became a major talking point because the contact came at a critical point in the shot. For a Bulls team still trying to stack wins in a crowded race, the confirmation does not change the outcome, but it does add another layer of frustration to a loss that already felt hard to swallow. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Present A Test Celtics Can't Afford To Mismanage
Boston is in the middle of a back-to-back, and Chicago arrives as the kind of opponent that can punish even a slight lapse in focus. The Bulls are still settling into a new coachs system, which has come with the growing pains you would expect from a young roster, but the Celtics know this is also the sort of game where their edge in execution should show up if they stay sharp from the opening tip.
Even so, there is a wrinkle in how Boston handles the night. Joe Mazzulla still has to sort through his back-to-back rotation plan, with Mitchell Robinson and Paul George both available but likely to be managed with care, which leaves the Celtics balancing rest and urgency. Against a team that gives away possessions at a high rate, Boston will want to press that advantage without letting the game drift into the kind of sloppy, up-and-down rhythm that can make a manageable night a lot more complicated. [Read more 🡒]