Despite winning nine of their last eleven games entering Saturday night, the Chicago Bulls are not one of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference.
In fact, this season appears to exhibit the same setting as others before it. Currently, the Bulls are 33-40 and are almost a lock for a top 7-10 finish in the conference.
If they finish ninth overall in the East, the Bulls will play the Miami Heat in the first of two play-in games to extend their season. That is exactly where Chicago saw themselves last season against the tenth-best Atlanta Hawks.
Chicago would go on to win but was eliminated by the Heat for the final playoff spot in the 2024 postseason. Finding themselves in familiar territory, the Bulls are on pace to be in their third straight play-in.
Why Mediocrity is Hurting the Chicago Bulls
Teams relish the chance to play in the postseason. Entering the playoff picture allows a team to compete for an NBA championship.
Yet, it also prevents a team like the Bulls from accumulating a meaningful first-round pick. In becoming one of the ten teams within the Eastern Conference to vie for a playoff (or play-in spot), the chances of them being awarded a decent lottery pick significantly decrease.
In the past 12 years, the Chicago Bulls have had multiple first-round picks in the same draft just twice. During that span, only three of those selections were within the first ten picks. Those three players are Wendell Carter Jr. (no longer with the team), Coby White, and Patrick Williams.
Matas Buzelis was the 11th overall selection in last year's draft. The majority of the Bulls' first-round picks have been #14-22. That makes it hard to infuse a high-level talent straight from the collegiate ranks.
Carter Jr. is now with the Orlando Magic, and Patrick Williams has not become the player the Bulls' front office expected. Thus, a few of the many reasons why Chicago is stuck in play-in purgatory.
In the past ten months, the Bulls have also traded away high-level starters such as DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, and Alex Caruso. Neither player netted Chicago a first-round pick. The best return from any of the players was Josh Giddey.
Unfortunately, White and Giddey won't be enough to take the Billy Donovan-led Chicago Bulls deep into the playoffs. Teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have looked strong all year. Plus, last year's Eastern Conference runner-ups, the Indiana Pacers, are playing their best basketball as of late.
In the first season that the play-in was implemented (2019-20), the Chicago Bulls missed out by two games to the Charlotte Hornets. Since then, they have been a part of three of the other four. The other season that they weren't, the Bulls were the sixth seed by a two-game margin over the Brooklyn Nets.
Winning the play-in during prior seasons hasn't been too helpful for the Bulls' playoff success. They have not made it out of the first round since the 2014-15 season and have just one playoff win since.
The play-in is hurting the Chicago Bulls' growth. If they want to improve their future, do better or tank.