The Chicago Bulls are committed to winning. After getting bounced in the Play-In Tournament this past season, Arturas Karnisovas said that Chicago had no plans to rebuild. Their plan has been to run it back while making some additions this offseason which, so far, has meant the free agency signings of Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig.
Heading into next year, the Bulls will be looking to make it back into the playoffs, but their first chance to compete for a title will be well before Spring time. The NBA announced its new In-Season Tournament, and the Bulls landed in one of the easier groups.
Each team plays a set of group games and then moves on to a single-elimination tournament bracket, all culminating in a Finals. Chicago’s group of five includes the Boston Celtics, the Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors, and the Orlando Magic.
Overall, the Bulls landed in one of the easier groups of the tournament. The Celtics, fresh off two-straight runs to the Eastern Conference finals and one Finals appearance, are the best team. But outside of that, wins are up for grabs.
The Raptors are in a state of uncertainty similar to the Bulls, the Nets are trying to recoup talent after trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving this past year, and the Orlando Magic are a young team looking to push forward.
Depending on how well Chicago’s talent meshes next year, they could either be the second-best team in this group or the worst, which says a lot about how much variation there could be in terms of the Bulls season next year.
