Is continuity the right path for the Chicago Bulls?

Are the Chicago Bulls on the right path with the same core?

The Chicago Bulls’ blueprint for last season obviously did not work, with the team failing to make it to the postseason despite having a talented “Big 3” of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. 

With that said, rather than learn from last season’s mistakes and push the reset button on their underachieving roster, the Bulls’ front office decided to run it back, re-signing Vucevic to a three-year, $60 million deal and not trading any of their two All-Star wingmen.

So, with training camp in Memphis approaching, the question hanging in the air in Chicago is: Is continuity the right path for this team?

More mediocrity

If the results weren’t convincing enough, the numbers behind the performance of the “Big 3” should suffice. Despite playing the most number of minutes of any trio in the NBA, the Bulls just aren’t effective when those three play together, registering a minus-1.3 points per 100 possessions.

“After failing to make the playoffs last season, the Chicago Bulls' front office doubled down on mediocrity by re-signing Nikola Vucevic and not trading (at least not yet) Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan,” Andy Bailey wrote.

There’s no denying the impact Lonzo Ball had on this roster when he was at the tip of the spear in 2021. However, since his knee injury and subsequent absence in January 2022, the lack of a true two-way court general has hurt the Bulls’ ability to score efficiently and defend at a high level.

And although the Bulls acquired a couple of high-quality role players in Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, the onus remains on the “Big 3” and their ability to cohesively mesh and produce on both ends of the floor.

Reason for optimism

There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Bulls right now, but hope still springs eternal. Perhaps this is the season they finally put it all together. Maybe this season, the “Big 3” will gel and finally reach their potential. Maybe this will be the season where they make a deep playoff run and truly establish themselves as contenders in the Eastern Conference. However, hope is not a viable strategy.

“Individually, they're all talented enough to be positively impactful players. Maybe Year 3 is the charm. Maybe they've now played enough together to know how to work off each other and add to each other's games. Otherwise, the reason for optimism might have to wait for the trade deadline,” Bailey added.