The Chicago Bulls made sure to stay active in free agency this year, both internally and externally. They brought back Nikola Vucevic and Coby White on three-year deals, but they added a couple of solid pieces in the open market. Chicago signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, both of whom will greatly help their depth.
However, just because they added some solid pieces doesn’t mean they have perfected the roster. In fact, they could still use some extra pieces, including more forward depth and additional 3-point shooting. However, neither of those things is Chicago’s biggest area of need, according to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report.
Buckley believes the biggest hole on Chicago’s roster post-free agency is rim protection.
“Chicago once again appears vulnerable on the interior,” Buckley wrote. “The Bulls (improbably) found their way to a top-five defense this past season anyway, but given their personnel, that ranking was never the easiest to trust. Go back to 2021-22, when Chicago first assembled the Vučević-Zach LaVine-DeMar DeRozan trio, and the Bulls were just 23rd in defensive efficiency.”
As of now, Vucevic, Andre Drummond and Adama Sanogo (who is on a two-way deal) make up Chicago’s big man rotation. None of them are particularly skilled at protecting the rim.
Vucevic is an offensive-minded guy, Drummond is a rebounding specialist, and Sanogo is a bit undersized (and a rookie).
Adding another center to the roster who is more apt at defending in the post could be a worthwhile endeavor for the Bulls before the start of next season.
