The Bulls can share the ball all they want, but that plan only goes so far.
That’s the reality hanging over this roster right now: if Chicago wants to get back to the NBA Playoffs, it has to find a player who can create a bucket on his own when the offense bogs down. In the modern NBA, good ball movement matters, but it doesn’t replace the need for a real isolation scorer. If the Bulls are serious about being competitive in the next few years, that development has to happen this season.
Tiago Splitter has already made clear where the team stands. He acknowledged that Chicago doesn’t have any top-level iso scorers and said the Bulls will lean on pace and ball movement in the half court.
That’s honest. It’s also not enough by itself.
There’s nothing wrong with a team trying to move the ball and generate clean looks that way. The Bulls have shown encouraging stretches in preseason, especially with their half-court offense.
That kind of progress should help them now and later. But it still leaves a ceiling in place if nobody on the roster can go get a shot when everything else breaks down.
The best teams last season made that point loud and clear. Of the final four in the conference finals, three had a top-tier isolation player.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a multiple MVP based on his ability to do just that. Donovan Mitchell is one of the best off the dribble in the league.
The Knicks, meanwhile, would not have been nearly as dominant without Jalen Brunson’s ability to take over in the fourth quarter. Victor Wembanyama isn’t that same kind of player, but the Spurs were at their best in the playoffs when Dylan Harper’s isolation game was rolling, and that is expected to be even more of a focus for them this season.
Splitter knows the ball-movement style well from his own playing days with the Spurs, but the league has changed since then - even compared with a decade ago. The Bulls also have their own recent proof point. When DeMar DeRozan was taking over late in games, Chicago was at its best.
For this season, Norm Powell gives the Bulls that kind of ability. The issue is obvious: nobody is pretending Powell is a long-term piece of the future.
That leaves two young players who look like the best candidates to grow into a true isolation threat: Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis.
Buzelis flashed some ability last year to beat defenders off the dribble, but he was still a long way from being viewed as a serious iso scorer. One possible path forward is a heavier midrange diet.
Once defenders know a player is only looking to shoot a 3 or attack the rim, they can sit on those options. A scorer who can rise up from anywhere between 30 feet and 5 feet changes that equation fast.
Wilson is tougher to judge right now. A few summer league and preseason games aren’t enough to know how far along he is as an off-the-dribble scorer. In a few months, the picture should be much clearer.
However it happens, the Bulls need someone young to take that leap. Ball movement can carry a team a long way, but when it stops working, somebody has to be able to take over. And if Chicago is ever going to make a real playoff run, that’s the piece it still has to find.
In Other News...
Bulls Just Showed The Early Identity Chicago Fans Have Been Waiting For
A preseason win can be easy to dismiss, especially when the opponent is missing several regulars, but the Bulls still gave Chicago something tangible to look at in their 125-104 rout of the Bucks. The ball moved well, the shots came fast and the offense had the kind of pop that coaches and fans alike have been waiting to see, a reminder that even in October there are clues worth filing away for the regular season.
Matas Buzelis was one of the biggest reasons the night felt different, finishing with 19 points and providing a jolt in the middle of the game when the Bulls needed one. Chicago wrapped up the preseason at 2-2 and now turns to Minnesota next, with the real test arriving when the regular season opens on Oct. 21. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Win Still Left One Concern Fans Shouldn't Ignore
Chicagos 125-104 win over Milwaukee had the look of a team making the most of an opponents problems. The Bulls were sharp enough to turn Bucks mistakes into easy offense, and they spread the production around with Josh Giddey, Noa Essengue, Norman Powell and Jalen Smith all making their presence felt in a convincing result that should have boosted the mood around the group.
Still, the night also served as a reminder that one strong showing does not erase every concern. The Bulls benefited from a Bucks team missing key pieces and coughing the ball up far too often, which is the kind of edge that can swing a game quickly in October but is harder to count on once the schedule tightens and healthier rosters are in the way. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Wilson Is Giving Bulls Fans A Real Reason To Watch This Reset
Caleb Wilson arrives in Chicago with the sort of draft pedigree that can briefly soften the sting of a reset. The No. 4 pick is heading into his first season with the Bulls after backing up the buzz in Summer League and carrying that momentum into a solid preseason, giving the fan base something tangible to follow while the bigger picture around the roster takes shape.
The early national conversation around Wilson has already been split, which only adds to the intrigue. Some outlets see him as one of the leagues most promising rookies and a legitimate Rookie of the Year type, while others have been far less enthusiastic, leaving his stock somewhere between obvious upside and unresolved debate. For Bulls fans, that makes his debut season feel like more than a development project. It is also a measuring stick for how quickly this new chapter can start to look worth the wait. [Read more 🡒]