For what some call a middling franchise that fields an ill-fitting roster and is steeped in controversy with a legion of local fans who can’t watch them play on TV like they’re used to, the Chicago Bulls are … dare we say, watchable?
Most observers didn’t care about the Bulls enough to even mention them in preseason discussions about Eastern Conference playoff contenders. But here they are after their first dozen games, defiantly stacking wins, delighting crowds at home and on the road, and once again dutifully playing their long-held role among the NBA’s best of the rest.
The Bulls showcased their wacky ways with a one-point road win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday, improving their record to 5-7. In Chicago, that’s considered an accomplishment that few saw coming. And if they keep winning at their current rate, the Bulls will do so to their detriment.
The golden ticket from the 2024-25 season for Chicago is retaining its top-10 protected 2025 NBA Draft pick. If the Bulls make the playoffs, or if they fall short but finish 11th to 14th in the draft order, their selection must be conveyed to the San Antonio Spurs to complete the DeMar DeRozan trade.
Bulls management has said publicly since the end of last season that the pick isn’t the organization’s focus. Of course, it’s not as if the front-office regime can declare this season a tank-a-thon. The NBA league office frowns upon such honesty. There’s only one problem: The Bulls are now backing up management’s claim by going out and playing like the selection — the only asset the franchise has as hope for breaking out of the messy middle — doesn’t matter.
Chicago now has captured impressive road wins against the Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls are just 1-4 at home but have fallen to league heavyweights like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Bulls remain a mystery from one night to the next, but after their first dozen games, they have established themselves as a pesky surprise.
So how have they done it? Start with parity.
There are multiple teams in both conferences with win totals ranging between four and seven. With those jumbled standings and with a young, developing roster dedicated to a new style of play, the Bulls never saw a reason not to keep themselves in the mix.
But let’s not pretend this was all intentional. The Bulls had trade discussions for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević this summer, but no suitable deals emerged to entice them to part with two highly skilled players who have been core pieces. Chicago was adamant not to give up more assets just to move one or both players.
By bringing them back, however, the Bulls are, as expected, just good enough to flirt with .500 — and also forfeit their precious draft pick. Not surprisingly, LaVine and Vučević rank first and second in team scoring. They rank first and third in shot attempts and, together, keep the Bulls functioning as a professional outfit.
On their current pace, the Bulls would win 34 games. That would be five fewer wins than Chicago finished with last season, which ended in a second straight Play-In Tournament appearance that did not translate into making the playoffs. Keep in mind that LaVine missed three straight games — all Bulls losses — with a shoulder injury. Lonzo Ball also has missed nine contests either with a wrist injury or because of rest. Chicago might be sitting at or above .500 today if only LaVine laced up for all 12 contests.
Beyond their All-Stars in LaVine and Vučević, the Bulls have always had up-and-comers to like. They start with guard Coby White, who has taken on more of a leadership role and continues to raise his level of play even after finishing second in the Most Improved Player award voting last season. White ranks third on the Bulls in scoring at 19.7 points per game and has found his footing in the backcourt between LaVine and new arrival Josh Giddey.
Pace and 3-point shooting also have helped the Bulls to remain competitive even after the departures of DeRozan and Alex Caruso, who was traded to the Thunder for Giddey. Chicago is attempting to conceal its lack of interior size by leading the league in pace at 104.92 possessions per 48 minutes. Additionally, the Bulls now rank fifth at 41.1 3-point attempts per contest; last season, they ranked 26th. In the two seasons before the 2023-24 season, they ranked last.
Those adjustments, when they aren’t self-sabotaging with shoddy defense, sideways shooting and unforced errors, have given the Bulls a chance on most nights.
There are still clunky moments. The Bulls rank 26th in turnovers at 15.1 per game. They allowed the Timberwolves to steal a game in Chicago behind a 45-point fourth quarter. They allowed 135 points to a previously winless Utah Jazz team playing without star forward Lauri Markkanen. They were torched by Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets. And their coach is starting to spew Jim Boylen-level one-liners, like the bewilderment he shared following the Jazz defeat.
“We were in zone one time, and we had one or two guys playing man,” Billy Donovan said.
And then there was this one from Donovan after Patrick Williams finally got a dunk to drop after countless botched attempts:
Billy Donovan (joking) about the aggressiveness from Patrick Williams tonight: “I was very, very excited. I almost called a time out and had a celebration on the bench — he made a dunk.”
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) November 14, 2024
Chicago’s first dozen games served as merely a preview of what’s in store for the final 70. The Bulls are a scrappy, stubborn squad that will win when you least expect them to before getting outclassed at home by Keyonte George. Inconsistency, once again, is their identity.
The Bulls are just good enough to stack some feel-good wins, but not sturdy enough to sustain them over a significant stretch. They’re once again firmly entrenched as an entertaining and sometimes effective ball club, but also one that lacks direction.
This time, it could cost them dearly.
(Photo of Zach LaVine: John Jones / Imagn Images)
