Bulls Early Season Evaluation

The Chicago Bulls entered the 2023-24 season shadowed by a lackluster previous year and an unimpressive offseason. Their 4-8 start this season has done little to uplift the spirits of their fans or alter the perception of their prospects. 

Historically, the Chicago Bulls have found themselves trapped in a cycle of mediocrity – not bad enough to secure top draft picks for a rebuild, yet not good enough to make significant playoff runs. This situation, often referred to as the NBA’s purgatory, aptly describes the Bulls’ recent trajectory.

Last Season’s Performance: A Struggle for Consistency

Reflecting on the previous season, the Bulls finished with a 40-42 record. Their journey ended abruptly with a crushing defeat against the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament. This outcome left the team and its supporters with more questions than answers, highlighting the need for strategic changes and a clearer direction. Yet, the offseason did not bring the expected overhaul, leaving many to wonder about the team’s strategy and commitment to progress.

Offseason Moves: Quiet Times in the Windy City

The Bulls’ offseason mirrored their draft night: relatively uneventful. A questionable offseason decision was drafting Julian Phillips, a second-round pick from Tennessee. 

The Bulls traded away their 2023 first-round pick to the Orlando Magic as part of the Nikola Vucevic deal, so they only had one chance to make an impact selection in the NBA Draft, and while Phillips brings potential, they could have gone after a player who was more ready to contribute right away. This decision symbolizes the Bulls’ current state: a team making cautious, perhaps overly conservative moves, seemingly unsure of its path to success.

The Bulls also signed Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter, solid role players but none of them makes this team championship contenders. The lack of significant moves has cast doubt on the Bulls’ ability to turn their fortunes around this season.

Roster and Coaching Continuity: Unchanged Faces, Unchanged Fortunes?

With minimal changes in the roster and coaching staff, the Bulls’ current season seems to be a continuation of the previous year’s narrative. This stagnancy raises concerns about the team’s ability to break out of its mediocrity and truly contend. The unchanged lineup, headlined by Vucevic, LaVine, and DeRozan, might be seeing its final days together in Chicago, adding a layer of urgency to their performance.

Coby White’s Emergence for Chicago Bulls

LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic are all putting up big numbers as usual, but other than Coby White and Alex Caruso, the rest of the team just hasn’t played well consistently.

White deserves praise for stepping up the way he has. This is great news because the Bulls will need consistency from White if they plan to succeed. The North Carolina standout will have UNC fans cheering him on and Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina has you covered if you’re planning on putting action on any of the games in the future as North Carolina is expected to be next in line to legalize online sports betting.

The Bulls had a huge vacancy at point guard with Lonzo Ball again out for the entire season because of his serious left knee injury, and they re-signed White as a restricted free agent during the offseason. 

With that move, the Chicago Bulls pretty much handed White the keys to the car. As mentioned before, Chicago added Jevon Carter in free agency and stressed that training camp would have an open competition for the starting point guard spot, but it was always White’s job to lose. 

White’s Value

White didn’t lose the job, he’s shown he can be the Chicago Bulls’ starting point guard for the rest of the season, as well as a general on the court. The fifth-year guard is averaging 12 points, 4.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 31.8 minutes over 12 games this season, increasing his numbers from last year. 

White isn’t afraid to use his voice and that should pay off eventually. White’s desire for victory hasn’t necessarily translated into wins, however, and that has frustrated him at times. The Bulls tweaked their offense this season, and White takes any growing pains personally.

‘‘The new offense has been a little bit of work, but we’re committed to it,’’ White explained. ‘‘Billy has been hard on us about playing the right way and doing the right things on the floor, and communication is a huge part of that.’’

This is where Coby White’s ability to communicate comes in. The Bulls showed they are committed to White with the three-year, $36 million contract, and he wants to show the Bulls that he is committed to doing whatever it takes to make things work with this group.

‘‘Whenever I speak, I feel like the vets listen,’’ White added. ‘‘Sometimes it might not be what they want to hear, and I can tell by their facial expression that it’s something they might not want to hear. But they’ve never outright told me to shut up or [bleep] off, nothing like that. They want to win, too.

‘‘If I see something, I have no problem saying it.’’

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