NBA.com Power Rankings sees the Chicago Bulls as no.8 in the East
Despite the subtle yet potentially impactful moves of signing sparkplug guard Jevon Carter and tough forward Torrey Craig, some experts remain skeptical of the Chicago Bulls’ chances for next season. NBA.com’s John Schumann actually placed them eighth in the Power Rankings, underscoring the notion that the Bulls have not done nearly enough to move the needle.
Some positives
This latest iteration of the Bulls features more shooting and better defense with the additions of Carter and Craig, both of whom are coming off fantastic seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns, respectively. In addition, the Bulls continue to wait on the improvement of young and promising forward Patrick Williams, the fourth overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, who’s turning 22 this month.
“Craig and Carter are solid additions, and this team was better than its record last season. The Bulls (as noted above) struggled in close games, but had the point differential (seventh best in the East) of a team that was 45-37. The defense was strong all season and the offense got better (though it still ranked just 15th after the break) over time. Patrick Williams (one of 20 players who shot better than 41% on at least 250 3-point attempts) turns 22 in August and should keep getting better,” Schumann wrote.
What’s the ceiling for this Bulls team?
Schumann pointed out that aside from the oft-injured Lonzo Ball, who missed all of last season and is set to sit out the rest of this upcoming season as well, the Bulls’ core of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Zach LaVine were all healthy and played terrific. Despite that, the numbers involving the “Big 3” were not good.
“But (other than Lonzo Ball), the Bulls were pretty healthy last season, with their top five guys in minutes per game (not including Beverley) missing a total of just 15 games,” Schumann commented. “The Bulls have been outscored by 20 points (0.7 per 100 possessions) in 2,848 total minutes with that trio on the floor over the last two regular seasons.”