The Chicago Bulls have entered a new era. Under the stewardship of Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter, the Bulls have a talented, young roster that hopes to make some noise in the loaded Eastern Conference.
Even though the focus of the franchise will be more on the future rather than the present, the Bulls will still try to win as many games as possible. There is no incentive to tank anymore with the new lottery rules, so it will be exciting to see how good this team can really be. While they have some important strengths that can help them be better than expected, they also have a couple of serious weaknesses.
Let's take a look at what might hinder the Bulls' ability to be competitive in the East.
Go-to shot creator in the half-court
The Bulls have a lot of transition talent, and they will be a dangerous team when they can get stops and run. When the game slows down and becomes a half-court possession, however, the Bulls' offensive talent leaves plenty to be desired.
There is a clear lack of players who can create good shots for themselves. Norman Powell is the closest thing to a go-to scorer the Bulls have, but he is underqualified to be the No. 1 option. Josh Giddey doesn't put enough pressure on the defense as a scorer. Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis are more complementary offensive players at this point in their development.
Buzelis can take a step forward and become this player. As things stand now, however, the Bulls don't have someone who can create advantages, beat their defenders, and generate good looks for themselves and others on a consistent basis.
Shooting
Similar to shot creation concerns, the Bulls also have a shot-making problem. The Bulls had a modern offense last season. They took the second-most shots at the rim, were a top-ten team in three-point frequency, and took the fewest mid-range shots of any team, per Cleaning the Glass. The issue was that they couldn't hit these shots.
They were a bottom-ten team in three-point accuracy. And they had the worst rim-finishing percentage in the league, per Cleaning the Glass. A big reason for the struggles at the rim was the fact that defenses were too comfortable packing the paint. The Bulls didn't have enough shooters to keep defenses honest, which meant that they could make things difficult for Chicago's drivers.
This may be the case again this season. Powell is a very good shooter. Buzelis and Giddey both improved a ton. But there aren't any elite shooters on the team besides Powell. Considering that he will have the ball in his hands a ton, the spacing will be cramped, making shots difficult for the Bulls.
Veteran competence & experience
The Bulls will be one of the youngest teams in the league next season. Powell will be the only player over the age of 30. Besides him, there is no one on the team who has experience being on winning teams and playing in games with high stakes.
Lack of postseason experience will likely not matter to the Bulls this season. Yet, it could be a problem at the end of games. The Bulls don't have many players who can be a trusted hand and won't make too many mistakes in high-pressure situations.
The NBA season can be grueling. It can be difficult to maintain the same level of effort, intensity, and discipline throughout the season. Experienced players who have been in different locker rooms and winning situations can make a lot of difference in keeping teams focused.
There will be frustrating periods for the young Bulls. There will be silly mistakes and bad losses. That's the price the Bulls might have to pay to have this young, high-upside team.
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