This past offseason completely shifted the power of the NBA. Players like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined forces in Brooklyn. Boston signed All-Star guard Kemba Walker. The Clippers signed two of the best wing-defenders ever in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Outside of the major free agent signings, many teams made great moves to bolster their rosters. One of these teams that people have been focusing on is the Atlanta Hawks. They had an amazing draft, getting two of the better wing prospects in Cameron Reddish and DeAndre Hunter, but there are still a lot of questions surrounding the team’s system fluidity. The team that no one is focusing on is the Chicago Bulls and their bright future.
Great Roster Moves
These past few months “GARPAX” (the nickname of the Chicago Bulls’ front office) have actually made some surprisingly good moves. At the trade deadline, the Bulls acquired seventh-year wing Otto Porter. Prior to the deal, Porter was one of the worst contracts in the NBA. After he was acquired by the Bulls, his scoring skyrocketed, averaging 17.5 PPG on almost 50-40-90 shooting splits; up from the 12.6 he averaged on worse shooting percentages. The one thing the Bulls have lacked is a quality wing player, and Porter fit that need. He’s a perfect fit next to Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen as an excellent 3-and-D player who opens up driving lanes for LaVine to attack the rim.
Chicago also had a pretty good draft to follow. First-round pick Coby White showed tremendous upside during the Summer League. Personally, I wasn’t very high on White prior to the draft, but watching game film, you can see that White is perfect in Chicago. His quick, athletic play is perfect next to LaVine. This will help the Bulls increase their abysmal pace that ranked 20th in the NBA last year. Second-round pick Daniel Gafford also played great for the Bulls in the Summer League, averaging 13.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG and, 2.8 BPG. These two young pieces will be great additions for the Bulls moving forward.
Last year, Wendell Carter Jr. and Chandler Hutchison showed great potential. Wendell is the perfect center to play alongside Lauri and LaVine. He’s essentially an “Al Horford” prototype that can play above the rim. His interior defense will help mask the defensive shortcomings of Markkanen, and his ability to switch on the pick-and-roll will greatly help Chicago’s defensive struggles. Hutchison has shown flashes of being a great 3-and-D player off the bench and will finally get more involved in the Bulls’ rotation.
This young team is poised for a breakout season. Lauri Markkanen is a guaranteed 20 and 10, and LaVine is already one of the league’s best scoring SGs. Having the roster built around them is ideal for their style of play. Not only is their starting five one of the most fun to watch in the league, but they also have a deep bench. Chicago lost Bobby Portis to the Knicks but quickly replaced him with Thaddeus Young.
Last year’s starting PG, Kris Dunn, is going to be in the sixth-man role. He’ll lead the young Bulls’ second unit. Dunn immediately becomes one of the leagues best backup PGs. They also have a plethora of young wing talent that includes Denzel Valentine, Chandler Hutchison, Tomas Satoransky, Antonio Blakeney, and Shaquille Harrison. Essentially, the Bulls have one of the deepest and youngest benches in the NBA.
Next Season’s Expectations
The Bulls are a top-eight team in the East this season. Atlanta, Detroit, Orlando, Miami, Brooklyn, Toronto, Indiana, Boston, and Milwaukee are all projected to have more wins than Chicago. They can be better than at least four of those teams. Atlanta is too young, and their success will be contingent on Trae Young’s second-year leap. The Pistons lack a bench and don’t have a quality PG on the roster. The Magic have a good roster, but they’re heavy and lack floor spacing. And, Miami is extremely overrated, only signing Jimmy Butler this offseason, and are a projected fifth-seed. A case can even be made that the Bulls can be better than the Toronto Raptors, considering half of their roster is on the wrong side of 30.
Chicago’s roster is perfect for today’s NBA. They’re young, fun to watch, and have two potential All-Stars. Expect to see the Chicago Bulls become a playoff team. They can even make some noise in a seven-game series.
Instagram: a.hawk_persources