The Chicago Bulls aren’t entering the season with playoff expectations, and they’re not pretending otherwise. With the rebuild now the priority, the focus is on development instead of a postseason chase. Even so, this group has a few traits that could make it tougher to play against than people think.
The biggest one might be pace. In the half court, the Bulls could have a hard time finding easy offense because they don’t have an elite shot creator.
But when the game opens up, they look built to run. Josh Giddey gives them a strong full-court passer and playmaker, and his outlet passing pairs well with the athleticism of Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis.
Norman Powell also thrives in tempo, always hunting chances to attack before defenses get set. Nic Claxton adds another layer as one of the league’s more mobile and quicker centers.
That combination gives Chicago a chance to turn stops into points. If the Bulls can force turnovers, finish possessions on the glass, and push the ball, they have the speed and burst to catch teams flat-footed.
Athleticism is the other major calling card, and it shows up beyond just transition play. Wilson and Buzelis headline that part of the roster as an especially athletic forward pairing, while Claxton brings ground-covering mobility at center.
Giddey and Powell aren’t the most athletic players for their positions, but Chicago has more help on the bench. Noa Essengue and Leonard Miller could add another dose of explosiveness if they crack the rotation, and Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams, and Dailyn Swain are all capable athletes off the bench as well.
That gives the Bulls a roster with more physical tools than you might expect at first glance. Outside of the Giddey-Powell backcourt, there’s size, speed, and bounce scattered across the lineup, and that matters in today’s NBA.
There’s also real frontcourt flexibility here, which should give Tiago Splitter plenty of options. Claxton can switch and hold up against smaller players on the perimeter.
Jalen Smith can slide to power forward next to another big and stretch the floor. Caleb Wilson should also see time at small-ball five.
Wilson, Buzelis, and Claxton all have the ability to defend multiple positions, and that versatility only deepens with Patrick Williams, Essengue, and Miller coming off the bench. Chicago has a lot of mobile size, and that could help it defend above its level while also giving Splitter room to test different combinations.
That’s the point of this season: experimentation, evaluation, and figuring out which young players fit where. With this roster, the Bulls have the flexibility to do exactly that.
In Other News...
Scottie Pippen Sends Bulls Young Core A Clear Warning
Scottie Pippen used a recent appearance on the PBD podcast to make his feelings clear about Zion Williamson, questioning the way the Pelicans star has handled professionalism, discipline and staying in shape. For Bulls fans, the more relevant part of the conversation was the warning buried in Pippens comments: young players have to understand that talent alone is not enough, and the habits that shape a career matter just as much as the highlights.
That message lands in Chicago at a time when the Bulls are trying to build around a young core, and there is at least some reason for optimism. Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson have already drawn praise for the way they approach the work, with reports describing both as having an old-school mindset and a strong commitment to getting better. Pippens critique may have been aimed elsewhere, but the lesson is the same for this group: the standard has to be set early, and it has to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Could Lose A Summer League Sharpshooter For An Unexpected Reason
Donovan Atwell was one of the more interesting names to surface during the Bulls Summer League run, giving Chicago a young guard to evaluate after he arrived as an undrafted free agent. Normally, that sort of exposure points toward the next step in a standard offseason path, with an Exhibit-10 deal often serving as the bridge between Summer League and training camp competition.
Atwells situation is a little different now because the college route is still open to him. Thanks to the new NCAA 5-in-5 eligibility rule, he has the option to head back to Texas Tech for another season even after finishing his senior year, leaving him to weigh the pull of an NBA pursuit against the possibility of one more year in college basketball. For the Bulls, it means a summer prospect who seemed like he might stay in the pro pipeline could still decide his next stop is back in Lubbock. [Read more 🡒]
Norman Powells Bulls Mindset Just Sparked An Uncomfortable Debate
Norman Powells arrival in Chicago brought the kind of veteran scoring punch the Bulls hoped would sharpen their roster, and the offseason deal gave him both security and a fresh start. A two-year, $44 million contract is a meaningful commitment for a team trying to find its footing, and Powells perspective has already stood out because he is not pretending the road ahead is simple. He knows the Bulls have upside, but he also understands how fragile the mix can be when a team is trying to move from possibility to something more stable.
At 33, Powell also seems to be approaching this chapter with a clear sense of timing, which only adds to the intrigue around how he fits in Chicago. For a player at this stage of his career, the deal may represent a rare chance to cash in while still playing a prominent role, and that makes the Bulls next steps feel even more consequential. If the season breaks the right way, this could be the kind of move that looks smart in hindsight, but the uncertainty around where the team is headed is exactly what keeps the conversation uneasy. [Read more 🡒]