Chicago Bulls: Can this young team sneak into the playoffs?

The Chicago Bulls are ready to start another season as the team held their official Media Day on Monday. Here’s why it’s okay to be cautiously optimistic about this team’s playoff chances.

The Chicago Bulls come off a disappointing 2018-2019 season looking to finally make some major improvements. The team was supposedly done rebuilding before last season, but that didn’t show in the standings as the Bulls finished with just 22 wins.

Fans grew frustrated with the team’s front office long ago. The team was supposedly tanking for a shot at the great 2018 NBA Draft class, but that didn’t work out. It became apparent this team was still rebuilding, even though they didn’t want to say that word.

John Paxson and Gar Forman, the two-headed monster of operational ineptness known as GarPax, have quite a reputation. I’ve spent enough time ripping them apart on this website and I don’t think I have the need to anymore.

This situation isn’t entirely their fault, though. Injuries and bad luck made it impossible for young teammates to gel last season. A coaching change that seemed like it was going to cause a mutiny may have actually worked.

https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1178789032836390913

I do give GarPax credit for sticking to their guns when it comes to coach Jim Boylen. His drill sergeant style isn’t something I’m a fan of, but they stood by their guy last season and it seems to have paid off. Players don’t exactly seem to hate the guy.

Boylen made a big deal out of player availability this offseason, as it’s been a struggle for the team in the past. Young stars Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine clearly listened to Boylen as they specifically mentioned this as a goal for the upcoming season.

Boylen is sometimes compared to former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. He emphasized the players going hard in practice each and every day, as well as player toughness and durability. “Thibs” was known to overwork his players.

While that style may not be popular these days in the NBA, it seems to work for this group of players. Plus, it seems Boylen may be more willing to listen to players about the new trend of “Load management”. 

However, it’s not exactly clear how Boylen plans to split minutes among the team’s young core. Center Wendell Carter Jr. missed almost half of his rookie season last year with various injuries. He looked to be in great shape on Media Day, but his durability is in question.

While there are still many question marks around this team, I think it’s okay to be cautiously optimistic about their playoff chances. Players focused on their preparation for the upcoming season on Media Day, and there seems to be a renewed focus.

The Eastern Conference remains weak compared to the west, and the Bulls could sneak into a playoff spot with a record under .500. I must mention I was cautiously optimistic about the team’s playoff chances last year as well, and it didn’t come close to working.

But the one thing that gives me more confidence about the Bulls making the playoffs next season is that the oddsmakers are with me. Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight analytics website gives the Bulls a 54 percent chance to make the playoffs.

It’s not a surprise, but Boylen also made a postseason appearance a point of emphasis. He revealed on media day that making the playoffs was the goal this team set for itself going into the season.

That may put pressure on some players, but it’s about time this team aimed high. It’s been a rough few years for Bulls fans, and this team’s not quite out of the woods yet. Here’s hoping they can stay healthy and finally put an entertaining product out on the court again.