Power Ranking Bulls' Roster Based on Regular-Season Performance
Big picture-wise, the Chicago Bulls perhaps haven't accomplished much during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Clinching a Play-In Tournament berth does nothing to silence the external calls to reset this roster. Patrick Williams' future with this franchise has never felt so murky. For that matter, neither has Zach LaVine's present.
There have been some peaks to go with these valleys, though, like Coby White's ascension and DeMar DeRozan's knack for providing late-game heroics.
To get a closer look at everything that happened this season, let's power rank this entire roster based on everyone's performance.
The Bottom Tier
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Unranked: Lonzo Ball
It didn't feel right to leave Ball unmentioned, so we'll drop him in before the rankings start. The two-way playmaker has lost more than two full years to a knee injury that has forced three different procedures, though he's said to be making progress with his rehab, so hopefully his NBA story has more chapters ahead.
18. Andrew Funk
Signed to a two-way contract in February, Funk has made a pair of NBA appearances that spanned a total of three minutes.
17. Henri Drell
Drell signed an Exhibit 10 contract in September, saw it waived by the Bulls in October and then inked a two-way pact in December. He's only appeared in one NBA game, but he has been plenty productive in the G League.
16. Adama Sanogo
When Sanogo went undrafted last summer, the Bulls made a quick move to bring him onboard with a two-way deal. He has since become a double-double machine in the G League, though his NBA run has included just 14 minutes spread across five outings.
15. Javonte Green
Green has only found a 10-day deal so far, but the defensive energizer is doing what he can to extend his stay. In his first three outings, he's shooting 6-of-11 overall and 3-of-5 from distance.
14. Onuralp Bitim
Bitim scored a two-way deal from the Bulls last summer and saw it converted to a standard contract in February. He has helped cover some injury absences in the rotation since, but inconsistent shot-making has prevented him from landing a nightly role.
13. Terry Taylor
Taylor is a funky player as a 6'5", 230-pounder who pings between the 4 and 5 spots. He'd be considerably more interesting with an outside shot or more size, but his hustle, physicality and quickness allow him to be helpful without them.
12. Julian Phillips
Before a foot sprain forced Phillips off the floor, he was leaning on his defense and athleticism to make an imprint in limited minutes. He's only seen 323 minutes of floor time, but that number was on the rise before this foot problem got in the way.
The Middle Tier
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11. Dalen Terry
Terry's numbers may not look that much different from his disappointing rookie season, but the eye test shows a more confidence and assertiveness this time around. His shot needs work from every level, but his activity level is consistently high.
10. Jevon Carter
When the Bulls signed Carter last summer, it looked like he had a real shot to land their starting point guard gig. Coby White's breakout torpedoed that idea, but if it hadn't, Carter's shooting woes might have still stood in his way of getting a major role. He is a bulldog defender, but guards who shoot 38.4 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from three are tough to entrust with meaningful minutes.
9. Torrey Craig
When Craig has been healthy enough to play, he has largely performed as advertised, pairing defensive versatility with reliable perimeter-shot-making (albeit at a low volume).
8. Patrick Williams
This undoubtedly goes down as a disappointing year for Williams, who keeps showing flashes as a defender and shooter but seldom brings much else to the table. He made just 43 appearances before foot surgery ended his season, making this the second time in three seasons he has lost substantial time to injury.
7. Zach LaVine
LaVine's numbers will make this look low (he's second on the team in points per game and third in assists), but they've never felt more hollow. When he wasn't missing time with a foot injury that eventually forced him under the knife, he wasn't helping the Bulls' bottom line. They lost 15 of the 25 games he played and have fared 4.7 points better per 100 possessions without him, per NBA.com.
6. Andre Drummond
Drummond's per-minute activity is incredible (18.9 rebounds, 17.6 points and 3.2 combined steals and blocks per 36 minutes, per Basketball-Reference), and it almost makes you wonder what he'd do with an expanded role. Then, you remember there are limitations to his game—he offers next to nothing away from the basket—that would turn him from an asset into a liability if he saw too much exposure.
The Top Tier
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5. Nikola Vučević
There is no mystery with Vučević, who turned 33 years old the day before Chicago's season-opener. He'll churn out double-doubles on the regular and occasionally throw in a handful of assists, but his athletic limitations will be noticeable, too.
4. Ayo Dosunmu
Dosunmu's third season with this squad has forced folks to rethink whether his ceiling was set high enough. He's been a helpful role player in the past, but he could be on something different now. Since the All-Star break, the relentless defender has averaged 16.6 points and 5.3 assists while posting a 49.3/36.4/89.7 shooting slash.
3. Alex Caruso
Caruso's defense is the best skill the Bulls have. His plus-3.5 defensive estimated plus/minus is the fifth-highest mark in the entire league, per Dunks & Threes. You could argue that might be worth an even higher ranking than this, but he just doesn't do quite enough on offense to crack the top two.
2. DeMar DeRozan
Because DeRozan also specializes on one end of the floor, he wasn't a lock for the second spot. But he's a high-end offensive contributor (23.6 points and 5.2 assists), and his ability to consistently deliver in the clutch is what earned him the nod. His 177 clutch points are second-most overall, per NBA.com, and he has tallied them on a sizzling 50.5/50/87.7 shooting slash.
1. Coby White
There was no greater development with the Bulls this season than White's meteoric rise. Chicago needed a building block, and he became one, upping his output across the board in both volume and efficiency. He's looked a little gassed of late, but it's hard to blame him given how dramatically things shifted for him this season.
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