Bulls' Complete 2023-24 Season Preview and Predictions
The Chicago Bulls haven't lost belief in this core.
Whether that's a good thing or not depends on who you ask, but that message was made perfectly clear over the 2023 NBA offseason. They not only kept all of their key contributors, they also brought in a few plug-and-play veterans in free agency.
Are they simply chasing false beliefs? Or might all the external calls for a franchise reset actually be off-base?
Offseason Recap
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Chicago could have made sweeping changes to its roster this summer, but it prioritized roster continuity instead.
Nikola Vučević got a new deal before free agency even started. Coby White, perhaps considered the club's biggest flight risk, was re-signed almost as soon as the market opened. Ayo Dosumnu had to wait longer, but he eventually received his own three-year deal.
When the Bulls weren't spending money in-house, they were on an external search for defense and shooting. They hope to receive both from newcomers Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig.
Chicago didn't originally have a pick in this year's draft but traded its way in to nab athletic swingman Julian Phillips out of Tennessee. His offense is only slightly less raw than a freshly picked apple, but his defense appears NBA-ready.
Biggest Question
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Because so much of Chicago's roster remains the same, there aren't many pressing questions within it.
The obvious exception, of course, is the wild card that is Patrick Williams.
He has largely functioned as a three-and-D role so far, which is a useful role but not exactly as impactful as what the Bulls envisioned when they made him the No. 4 pick of the 2020 draft. His physical tools are tremendous, and there are some off-the-dribble flashes that make you think he's capable of much more, but a full-fledged leap year hasn't come close to happening.
However, player development isn't a linear process, so a huge spike could happen at any time. The only issue is that spike needs to take place sooner than later, because the window to win with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan only stretches so far.
Prediction
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The Bulls have a losing record since Lonzo Ball went down with an injury in January 2022. There isn't an obvious reason to say for certain that's about to change.
There are, however, multiple ways it could happen.
If Williams actually made a big jump, that would be the most profound way of brightening Chicago's impact. Improvements from White, Dosunmu or even Dalen Terry would be helpful, too. Carter filling Ball's shoes as a two-way playmaker is another possibility.
The Bulls could easily be competitive, but competitive enough to justify the level of investment this front office has made? Chicago probably needs (at least) a top-six seed to justify that, and given the collective depth of the Eastern Conference, that won't be easy to pull off.
