Bryson Graham’s next Bulls roster has to be built around a different kind of edge.
For all the noise around blocks and steals, defense in the NBA still comes back to something harder to measure: motor. That’s the energy, effort and nonstop strain that can turn a decent defender into a tone-setter. And right now, the Bulls need more of it.
Chicago has had pockets of that kind of defensive force in the 2020s, with guard Alex Caruso and guard JaVonte Green standing out as the clearest examples. But as the Bulls move into the early stages of a rebuild during the 2026-27 NBA season, the roster needs more players who can consistently drive high-level defense with effort and intensity.
That’s not a new lesson in Chicago. Bulls history has been filled with players who brought that edge, from forward Dennis Rodman and forward Andres Nocioni to guard Alex Caruso, center Joakim Noah and the team’s last superstar, Jimmy Butler. Even the Bulls’ biggest offensive names have often set the defensive tone, including the 1970s guard pairing of Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier, plus the 1990s dynasty leaders Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
The problem is that the Bulls’ recent answer didn’t solve anything.
In his final season, the 2025-26 NBA season, former Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas made one of his last notable roster moves by sending guard Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a straight-up deal for guard Isaac Okoro. The move was sold as a step toward adding a leader who fit the organization’s season-long emphasis on “physicality”.
Okoro also described himself early in his Bulls stint as a player who brought physicality to NBA games. But the defensive result was the opposite of what the team needed. He was often treated like a versatile stopper, when his best use is as a perimeter defender backed by size and aggressive help defense to keep pressure on the ball when he can’t stay in front of it.
The end result was a Bulls defense that settled into a 22nd-place ranking in defensive rating, according to Basketball Reference.
If the Bulls want a better standard going forward, Dillon Brooks offers the kind of model Graham should be chasing.
Brooks has spent nine seasons as one of the league’s more underrated defensive motors, even if his style walks a thin line between relentless intensity and the occasional ejection. That edge is part of the package, and it comes with real value. The Memphis Grizzlies finished in the top 10 in defensive rating in four of Brooks’ six seasons there, according to Basketball Reference.
His impact carried again after Memphis sent him to the Houston Rockets, where he became a defensive catalyst for head coach Ime Udoka as Houston jumped to ninth in defensive rating in the 2023-24 NBA season after finishing 29th the year before. The same thing happened after Brooks moved on to the Phoenix Suns, helping first-year head coach Jordan Ott guide Phoenix to 10th in defensive rating in 2025-26 after the Suns had ranked 28th the previous season.
Brooks may not fit the classic Bulls personality mold. He’s aggressive, and he’s probably not the easygoing, team-first type Chicago has traditionally favored. But that’s not really the point.
The point is that Bryson Graham needs more players like him. If the Bulls are serious about rebuilding their defense, they have to start collecting high-motor defenders and stop treating energy as a bonus.
Friendship and caring can wait. Stops can’t.
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