Chicago Bulls: 4 cautiously optimistic predictions for 2020-2021 season

4. Bulls make the playoffs

When looking at the Eastern Conference, there are a few sure fire playoff teams: The Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics. The Brooklyn Nets should easily get in, assuming Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving work out there.

That’s six of eight seeds right there, so the Bulls will likely find themselves competing with the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic for one of those two final spots.

But, not everything always goes as planned. There are bound to be unfortunate injuries or teams that fail to meet expectations. Not everything is what we may think it is going into the season, and that holds true for both ends of the spectrum.

For example: The Russell Westbrook-led Wizards might leapfrog a few teams and burst into the thick of the conference. Meanwhile, if one of the top dogs falls off for one reason or another, that’s one less team that the Bulls have to worry about.

We know one thing is for sure: The Bulls will score enough points to be a playoff contender. Will Donovan help them improve enough defensively? The obvious answer based on the entire premise of this piece is a resounding “yes.”