What awaits the Chicago Bulls in their last 27 games of the regular season?

The Bulls have a rough road ahead of them.

© Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls’ quiet showing at the trade deadline means that barring any additions from the buyout market, the roster the team started the season with will be the one that finishes it. With only 27 games left in the regular season, it’s time to look at what lies ahead for the Bulls.

Daunting task awaits

The Bulls went 14-9 after the All-Star break last year and went from 11th to 10th in the standings. However, at the time, the Bulls had a roster that had both All-Star Zach LaVine and promising forward Patrick Williams. 

Additionally, that team was sparked by the presence of tenacious guard Patrick Beverley, whom the Bulls signed after he got bought out by the Orlando Magic. This season, Beverley is already on the Bucks, while LaVine and Williams are sidelined with injuries. With the injuries mounting for the Bulls, the team has gone 11-10 since the calendar flipped to 2024.

Making things tougher is the fact that the Bulls play 16 games against opponents that have a .500 or better record. To date, Chicago sports a mediocre 9-21 mark against such opponents this season.

I’m ngl Coby White got all-star typa aura, this come-up isn’t surprising
pic.twitter.com/ImRV49xIcX

— blonded🌎💫 (@BlondedDynasty) February 15, 2024

Luck is needed

Chicago also needs a little bit of luck to accomplish their mission of barging into the NBA Playoffs in outright fashion. The teams above the Bulls—the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic—have identical 30-25 records, while the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers have held steady at 31-25. The Bulls would need these teams to stumble down the stretch in order to have a chance at a higher seed.

“Again, the main takeaway here is that the path to some kind of remarkable turnaround is nearly impossible to see,” Elias Schuster wrote in Bleacher Nation.

“As things currently stand, there are no teams in the Play-In Tournament or postseason picture who decided to pivot at the trade deadline. All should be jockeying for playoff contention, which makes the help the Bulls will surely need to move up the standings all the more unlikely.”

Ball movement ➡️ long range look for Dalen ➡️ bucket@NBCSChicago | @DalenTerry pic.twitter.com/T0iNahFGEm

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 13, 2024

Chicago Bulls ranked 20th in Bleacher Report's Power Rankings heading to the All-Star break