The Chicago Bulls got a useful glimpse of life without Norman Powell on Sunday, and it was hard not to notice how much cleaner things looked.
Powell sat out for the first time this season when the Bulls hosted the Philadelphia 76ers at the United Center, and Chicago opened the game with a level of offensive flow that had been missing far too often. That alone was enough to make the case that the veteran guard’s fit in this rebuild is getting harder to justify.
The Bulls entered their ninth game of the 2026-27 NBA season carrying a -18.0 point differential and facing a Philadelphia defense ranked fourth in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference. On paper, that should have meant trouble, especially with Powell unavailable. He had been Chicago’s second-leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game through the first eight games.
Instead, the Bulls’ first half had structure. Their first quarter leaned heavily on a Josh Giddey-Jalen Smith two-man game that produced all 10 of Smith’s points and four of Giddey’s seven assists in the opening frame. Matas Buzelis also gave Chicago a lift, finishing the half with 10 points on 75% shooting, while Caleb Wilson added 11 points before halftime.
Isaac Okoro started in Powell’s place and gave the Bulls a little stability on the offensive end, scoring four first-half points on a cutting layup and a putback. Without Powell on the floor, and without his foul-drawing style shaping possessions, Chicago’s starters were able to settle into more natural roles and get a more balanced shot distribution.
That’s the part that should stick with the Bulls. Powell may still matter in the locker room, but Sunday’s game made the on-court question impossible to ignore. His presence and his absence are both telling Chicago the same thing: this rebuild needs a cleaner offensive identity, and moving on from the veteran guard would help get there.
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