The Bulls’ future is suddenly sitting in Tiago Splitter’s lap, and the challenge starts with figuring out how Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis share the floor.
Chicago’s front office gave itself a real foundation this summer. Bryson Graham moved up to No. 4 in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery and used that pick on Wilson, a 19-year-old who has already made the decision look smart with a strong summer league showing and polished media appearances. At this point, Wilson looks like a player the Bulls will build around.
That’s where the puzzle gets interesting. Before this summer’s draft, Buzelis was Chicago’s obvious franchise cornerstone. Now Splitter has two young wings with star upside at the center of his roster, and the Bulls’ long-term path depends on how well he develops both of them - separately and together.
Graham added more around the edges, but the direction of the franchise will be driven by Wilson and Buzelis. Norman Powell was brought in to add scoring and help space the floor.
Nic Claxton arrived in a trade to give Chicago a real upgrade at center. Dailyn Swain was selected with the No. 15 pick, while Zach Collins was re-signed and Leonard Miller’s team option was picked up.
Those moves matter, but they’re secondary to the two young forwards.
On paper, the fit makes sense in a lot of ways. Wilson and Buzelis are both 6-foot-10 jumbo wings.
Both are explosive. Both thrive in transition.
There’s overlap there, and plenty of it, which gives Splitter some flexibility in how he uses them.
It also gives him problems to solve.
Neither player is a consistent 3-point shooter right now, which makes it easier for defenses to crowd the lane and cut off the very thing both do best: attack the rim and finish. Neither one is a high-level ball-handler, either.
Wilson is going to turn it over when he tries to dribble into traffic, and Buzelis, for all the progress he’s made, still has work to do in that area. Add in the fact that both are slim, and bigger bodies can move them off the glass.
The upside is obvious, but so is the work ahead. Wilson is only 19.
Buzelis is 21. Chicago’s hopes of getting back into title contention are tied to how far those two can grow.
Splitter’s job is to get both right at the same time - and make sure they become more than just a pair of promising young talents.
In Other News...
Matas Buzelis Has One Big Offensive Question Under Tiago Splitter
Matas Buzelis is stepping into his next chapter with the Bulls still trying to define what kind of scorer he can become, and the conversation around his game is getting more specific. On the Cousins Podcast, Buzelis talked about how his role has been shaped before, and how new head coach Tiago Splitter could open the door to more versatility for a young forward who is still learning where his scoring game can have the most impact.
The midrange shot sits at the center of that discussion. Buzelis has made clear he sees value in the middle of the floor as more than just an old-school option, viewing it as a way to keep defenders honest and expand what he can do off the dribble. For the Bulls, the question is whether that part of his game becomes a real piece of his development or stays something he only talks about in theory. [Read more 🡒]
Dennis Rodmans Bulls Impact Was Even Bigger Than Fans Remember
Dennis Rodman arrived in Chicago in October 1995 and immediately changed the way the Bulls could play around their stars. In a three-season run that lined up with three championships, he gave Phil Jackson something the roster had not always had enough of before: relentless rebounding, a wider margin for error on the glass and the chance to turn stops into fast-break chances. He also fit neatly alongside Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, not by scoring, but by doing the dirty work that kept possessions alive and possessions ending the other way.
What often gets lost in the nostalgia is how steady that influence was from year to year. Rodman did not just help the Bulls win, he helped define the style of those teams, piling up boards at a level that put him among the leagues most dominant rebounders and giving Chicago a different kind of edge when the game got physical. For a franchise that tends to be remembered through its scorers, Rodmans value was the kind that only becomes clearer with distance. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Should Ignore The Obvious Flyer For A Better Young Fit
Cameron Whitmore has quickly become a familiar name around Chicago after being waived from his rookie-scale deal, and it is easy to see why Bulls fans would circle a 21-year-old wing as a low-cost swing on upside. He fits the broad profile of the kind of young, athletic addition teams chase this time of year, especially for a roster that can always use more size and energy on the wing.
Still, if Chicago is serious about adding a young player who already has some NBA experience, the cleaner argument may be to look elsewhere rather than simply take the obvious free-agent path. One intriguing option is Memphis forward GG Jackson II, who is also 21 but brings a bit more height and has already shown more in actual game action, giving the Bulls a more developed bet if they want a youthful piece with a track record rather than just a fresh lottery ticket. [Read more 🡒]