The Curious Case of the Chicago Bulls

Picture courtesy from Alonzo Adams of USA TODAY Sports

Going into the 2022-23 NBA regular season, the Chicago Bulls were expected to continue being a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. However, with the way the season has gone so far, the Bulls look like anything but true contenders.

They are hanging onto the final play-in tournament spot in the East by just a game and a half above the 11th-place Toronto Raptors. The Bulls have beaten the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks all multiple times this season, yet have lost to the Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. To say they are an inconsistent team is putting it lightly.

Due to these losses to teams with bad records, Chicago’s 21-24 record is very frustrating, given that they have the talent to be much better. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine have played well, but they can’t win every game alone. Bulls’ management needs to upgrade the roster if they want the team to have a chance of winning in the postseason.

Point guard Lonzo Ball has been out with a knee injury since last January, and it is unclear if he will return at all this season, so he likely can’t be counted as a roster upgrade by definition. Center Nikola Vucevic has been up and down this season as a third scoring option offensively, averaging 17.5 points per game, even with his 43-point breakout last Sunday in a win over the Golden State Warriors.

The Bulls don’t have much three-point shooting on their bench, and that spot needed to be upgraded. Players like Alex Caruso, Derrick Jones Jr., and Javonte Green are all solid in their own ways and can help the team win, but they’re not true difference-makers in a playoff series.

With games coming up against teams at .500 or below, Chicago needs to stack wins together if they want to salvage their season and make the playoffs, even if they might not have a roster assembled to advance far.