Bulls Hot Takes 2 Months into 2023-24 NBA Season
The Chicago Bulls have made a mess out of the first two months of the 2023-24 NBA season.
While it was fair to wonder whether this front office's belief in this club's win-now potential was misplaced, few projections had the Bulls being this bad. Chicago had at least been relatively competitive in recent campaigns, but that's suddenly a standard this core can't even reach.
It hasn't all been doom-and-gloomy in the Windy City, but the biggest takeaway from this start is one that could permanently alter the direction of this franchise.
Patrick Williams Is Finding His Footing
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While it's been proven time and again that elite talent can be pulled from anywhere on the draft board, there's still a certain excitement and expectation tied to an early pick. So, when a player picked in one of those prime spots falls short of that hype, it's hard to feel anything beyond utter disappointment.
That's essentially been the career storyline for Bulls swingman Patrick Williams, who's had some solid stretches but never authored the kind of excellence so many hoped to see once Chicago made him the No. 4 pick of the 2020 draft. And when he stumbled out of the gate to start this season, it felt somewhat safe to assume the lightbulb may never click for him.
Slowly but surely, though, he's started to find his footing. Now, you won't catch any glimpses of a Kawhi Leonard 2.0 on his stat sheet, but Williams has put together an encouraging run of late. Over his last nine outings, he's averaging 13.6 points on 52.7/45.2/60 shooting while flashing his defensive disruption in the form of a block and a steal per game.
He's still not always as assertive as the Bulls need him to be, and it's increasingly likely that stardom simply isn't in the cards for him. Separate him from those draft expectations, though, and he's a 22-year-old finding ways to positively impact the game at both ends. That's objectively a good thing, even if it falls well short of the initial hopes for him.
Coby White Is Building a Most Improved Player Case
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The Most Improved Player award race is often the most competitive. This season appears no different. You might want to call Tyrese Maxey the early odds-on favorite, but you still have to notice the stiff competition he faces from players like Alperen Şengün, Tyrese Haliburton, Scottie Barnes and Cam Thomas.
You'd have to travel even further down the hypothetical ballot to find a mention of Coby White, but that doesn't change the fact he's making enough strides to warrant some consideration for the honor.
The 23-year-old is closest thing this team has to a full-fledged building block. That's becoming more obvious each time he hits the hardwood. His numbers are a tad muted by a sluggish start, but lately he's been producing like he's trying to make up for lost time. Over his last 11 contests, he's up to 23.3 points on 51.2/52.9/90.9 shooting with 4.9 assists against 2.0 turnovers, 4.9 three-pointers and 4.6 rebounds in 37.6 minutes.
While the Bulls aren't in a position to label anyone as an automatic keeper, White clearly—and easily—comes closest to being valued as such.
No One Is Off-Limits
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While it's the coldest of cold takes to suggest a rebuild is overdue for Chicago, the Bulls still don't sound ready to take this overhaul as far as they should.
Zach LaVine's name has bounced around the trade rumor mill for a while now, and DeMar DeRozan's has surfaced more than a few times, Chicago "has shut down" trade inquiries for Alex Caruso, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. Considering Caruso is the best trade chip at the Bulls' disposal, making him off-limits could prevent them from collecting the kind of assets they need to really kick-start a rebuild.
And this isn't just about Caruso. Fall as short of expectations as Chicago has, and no one should be made off-limits.
It's fine to set a steep—but realistic—asking price for Caruso. It's smart to demand a premium from anyone hoping to pry White loose. It's logical to ignore any low-ball offers for Williams.
Outright refusing to field trade offers for players, though, is a step too far. The Bulls should be open to discussing any deals that wound send legitimate assets in their direction, because whenever they opt to tear-down this roster, it could take an awful long time to build it back up.
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