The Chicago Bulls have been in limbo since Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah were at the helm. They've missed the playoffs 7 out of the last 10 seasons and have had the number seven pick three times in the past seven seasons, selecting Lauri Markannen, Wendell Carter Jr., and Coby White, respectively, with those picks. We now know Markannen was a hit; however, he didn't succeed much in a Bulls uniform. Carter had a promising future in Chicago but was traded for Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic, who has had a disappointing tenure in Chicago. White didn't have much success early on in his career until he took over lead guard duties after injuries to Lonzo Ball and Zach Lavine. White is now asking, "Is he a good player in a bad circumstance?" or "Is he a player contributing to the team's middling success?"
Directionless
The Bulls have been hesitant to go full rebuild mode after the team saw major success with Demar DeRozan (now a Sacramento King), Ball, Lavine, and Vucevic leading the Bulls to have the number one seed as late as Christmas in the '21-'22 season. There was hope that that success could be rekindled with the injection of Ball back into the roster. Now that DeRozan was lost for no compensation on the open market, Ball isn't guaranteed ever to play again. Lavine looks to be shipped out sooner rather than later, so the Bulls are in a downward spiral toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Recent pick Patrick Williams has shown flashes here and there, but not much to be excited about as a fan if he can't pick up his scoring. Lavine looks to be out the door, even though the Bulls will likely need to attach a first-round pick (or multiple) to entice a team to take on his contract. Vucevic had by far his worst season in Chicago, and Ball may never play again: it's bleak in Chicago. There is reason to be optimistic, however, as the Bulls look to have gotten a good player in a bad draft: Matas Buzelis, who fell to the eleventh overall pick to his hometown team. He's shown flashes in the Summer League of scoring versatility, passing vision, and accuracy, and he knows where to be defensively and has the body to play defense effectively. He's going to go through growing pains as a rookie, and I don't expect him to be an efficient scorer, but if we're taking a long-term outlook for this team, that might be precisely what they need this year.
The Bulls also traded All-Defensive first-team Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the young, shifty playmaker Josh Giddey. His main weakness last season—in a season where he was dealing with legal trouble off the court—was his ability to shoot threes consistently, shooting only 33.7% and making only one in three attempts every game. He also had a tough time finishing inside at the bucket for a player his size, only shooting 58.7% inside five feet, whereas the league average is 69.9%. During the 2024 Olympics so far, though, he's fared much better to this point, averaging 18 PTS, 7.5 REB, and 7 AST while shooting 53.8% from the field and 45.5% from 3, making 2.5 threes per game. Although the 3-point line is a little shorter in Olympic games, that's still a good sign for a player with a lot of inconsistency throughout the 2024 season. Giddey is still only 21 years old and still has plenty of time and room to grow, so this performance on one of the world's biggest stages is encouraging for a young player coming off a weak season for his standards.
Raise the Flagg
There's a lot of unknown with the prospects of Buzelis, Giddey, and even Patrick Williams; there can still be value in that. The upcoming draft class is shaping up to be a very good one in the eyes of scouts, with the biggest prize being Cooper Flagg. Scouts are comparing him to the likes of Kevin Garnett, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Paul George, and Andrei Kirilenko (SportingNews.com). The six-foot-nine small forward/power forward is considered one of the best American-born prospects in a long time, even better than Zion Williamson coming out of Duke. Flagg possesses a unique skill set of shooting, great defense, and the ability to put the ball on the floor, put his head down, and get to the bucket. He put up 16.1 PTS, 7.6 REB, 3.9 AST, 2.7 BLK, and 1.6 STL during his senior season on one of the best high school teams in the nation. The Bulls should be in a prime position to tank and possibly nab the proclaimed generational talent.
If the Bulls are ready to tank and get rid of veterans Lavine and Vucevic, they could end up being the worst team in the league and have a good chance of adding Flagg to their lineup, making them one of the youngest teams in the league. A core of Giddey, Buzelis, Williams, and Flagg would give them a very tall, versatile, playmaking team with many good defenders. That's a recipe for success, but the Bulls front office and General Manager Arturas Karnisovas must be willing to bottom out for a season or two while they build the team from the ground up. That would give the young players on this team an opportunity to grow together and build good chemistry while figuring out how to win in the NBA.
Even if the Bulls can't get the big prize of Flagg in this upcoming draft, this is still considered one of the stronger drafts in a very long time, with players such as VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper, and Ace Bailey. So, as long as they can secure a top-four pick, they should be in a great position to build this roster with many big, rangy, versatile players who could finally bring winning basketball back to Chicago.
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