After years of dejected sighs and inaudible pleas from a fan base hungry for ingenuity, the Chicago Bulls have – surprisingly – answered the call to enter the 21st century and embraced the 3-point shooting points.
The organization, led by head coach Billy Donovan in his fifth season with the franchise, has long been conservative in its approach to how basketball should be played, just as it has historically remained behind in matters workforce building.
For now, the Bulls have seemingly solved every other problem, and for the Bulls, that’s a step of significant magnitude given their reluctance to learn new tricks.
Donovan, for his part, has put his troops in charge of shooting from the outside, while constantly running up and down the field, with Chicago now leading the league after ranking 28th last season.
For fans, it’s a refreshing change from an entertainment standpoint. Who doesn’t love quick attacks that include a ton of 3s?
Zach LaVine, who spent the last year listening to talking heads proclaim that he’s just a bad contract, has adopted an off-ball role and reminds teams that he is, indeed, still very capable to give 25 to anyone whenever they want.
The 29-year-old has completely embraced the new systems, averaging 22.7 points on shooting splits of 49.5/45.8/81.5. Partly because it was always the system he was destined to thrive in, and it could also potentially buy him an exit strategy.
(Don’t worry, we’ll get there.)
It’s refreshing to see a former All-Star regain control of his own narrative, especially after an injury-riddled year in which he was limited to just 25 games.
Of course, it’s not just LaVine. Coby White makes 9.3 triples per game and four other Bulls make more than four.
Even Josh Giddey, a notorious non-shooter, is currently hitting 47.6 percent of his 3s. While that level of efficiency certainly isn’t sustainable, it’s a step in the right direction for a player that coach- Thunder boss Mark Daigneault couldn’t justify staying on the court during last season’s playoffs, largely because of his shooting woes.
So yes. Kumbaya and all that good stuff. The Bulls are fun and they finally have a shooting profile that resembles other professional basketball teams. Awesome.
This is where things get complicated.
With a 3-3 record, one has to wonder what exactly they hope to achieve this season.
In a year where the upcoming draft class appears to be one of the richest in years, and with the Bulls owing their 2025 first-round selection to San Antonio if they fall outside the top 10, it’s curious that Chicago has now chosen to become relevant.
There is no superstar on the list. There might not even be an All-Star this year. Moxie and courage, while commendable, do not make a champion.
It would seem particularly optimistic that the Bulls are now leaning into a potentially winning formula, only to forfeit their 2025 selection and a chance at Duke prospect Cooper Flagg.
And with the 140% extension limit of the ABCChicago is in a less than ideal position regarding White and Ayo Dosunmu. When both become extension eligible next summer, the Bulls will be limited in what they can offer them, meaning both will ultimately hit the open market in 2026 to reach new deals.
As for LaVine, if he stays healthy and productive, interest in him should increase, especially when suitors start stocking up at the trade deadline.
If a competitive team needs an offensive boost heading into the playoffs and can make salary work, LaVine would be a perfect fit, with the receiving team likely giving up less value than it gains.
There’s also the case of Giddey, who is reportedly looking for a new deal that would pay him to the tune of $30 million per year, which is quite the price to pay for a player that no one really knows about. that he is full-time.
Basically, the Bulls have a ton of challenges ahead of them, some of which could — and should — lead directly to a full-blown rebuild.
Of course, this would mean the loss of Donovan, who is not interested in such an adventure. Team president Artūras Karnišovas, who has traded picks like candy since taking over in 2020, shares a similar mindset.
This situation and this new style of play all raise the same question:
What exactly is the plan?
If the Bulls push hard this season, they will most likely find themselves in the play-in tournament again. If they get lucky and pull through, would anyone really expect them to go through Boston, New York, Orlando, Cleveland, Milwaukee or even Philadelphia, assuming Joel Embiid plays a game again day ?
Of course, that would keep fans happy for a few weeks, until draft night when they remember their selection is going to San Antonio. You know, the team that recruited this big Frenchman who is pretty good.
Look, it’s good to cash in your chips and get going. Many teams have done this, and for some, it has resulted in actual championships. But those teams had an established base of elite talent, which the Bulls don’t have, which makes any bid for relevance they’re currently going through…weird.
That’s not to say the Bulls aren’t doing absolutely the right thing in terms of installing an offense that doesn’t remind us of the 1980s. Making the right decisions on the court will always be a good thing, especially after years without doing it.
But the timing sucks and only adds to the confusion for a fan base that hasn’t known what’s going on for about half a decade.
So should the Bulls be praised for their adjustments, chastised for their lack of planning or should they be pushed to give fans a real peek behind the curtain so people know what’s really going on?
Yes, everyone. Nuance is absolutely necessary here.
But whatever the Bulls decide, history reminds us that this is an organization that doesn’t make things easy for anyone.
