The Chicago Bulls came into the season with lofty expectations, but have mostly fallen flat on their faces due to injury and ill-fitting pieces.
Because of that, Bleacher Report lists them as one of the more disappointing teams in the NBA this season, laying out the reasoning pretty clearly:
The Bulls wanted much more than this, though. Built to score in bunches and win in the short term, this team surrendered two first-rounders and Wendell Carter Jr. to add Nikola Vucević at the 2021 trade deadline, signed a 32-year-old DeMar DeRozan to a three-year, $81.9 million contract the ensuing offseason and maxed out Zach LaVine this past summer. Those moves made Chicago’s intentions crystal clear, even if outside observers couldn’t look at this roster and see more than a .500 team.
The Bulls acquired Lonzo Ball with the belief that he would be the stabilizing piece of a talented core. But with ongoing (and possibly career-threatening) knee issues, he has yet to suit up for the team this season. Even with him gone, the thought was that the Bulls would be able to succeed.
In DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls have three guys who have been multiple-time all-stars. With that being the case, Chicago should be much better than they are. The numbers look good, as both DeRozan (25.0) and LaVine (24.3) are averaging over 24 points a game and Vucevic is averaging a double-double with 17.7 points and 11.3 rebounds. But the biggest problem they face is that their best players operate best in the same spaces offensively.
DeRozan, for as good as he is, is strictly a mid-range shooter. With no consistent threat from behind the arc, he hinders the offense. LaVine, who is more of a three-level scorer, can have his driving lanes taken away if DeRozan is spacing the floor. Last but not least, Vucevic, a post-centric big man, leaves a lot to desired when he’s not on the block.
The Bulls have the talent to be much better than the record shows, but the light at the end of the tunnel seems so far away.
