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Chicago Bulls: How the last leg of the 2018-19 season will look

By Luke Askew

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 29: Shaquille Harrison #3 of the Chicago Bulls reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 29, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Brooklyn Nets defeat the Chicago Bulls 122-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 29: Shaquille Harrison #3 of the Chicago Bulls reacts during the fourth quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 29, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Brooklyn Nets defeat the Chicago Bulls 122-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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The NBA All-Star break is over, and the Chicago Bulls are about to embark on the final leg of the 2018-19 season. How will that look?

Lots of NBA fans commonly refer to the stretch of games after the All-Star break as the “second half of the season.” In reality, though, the season is already more than 2/3 done. The post-All-Star break section of the NBA season is really quite short – at least for teams that won’t make the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls currently sit at 14-44. For those that don’t pay much attention to the NBA, 14-44 is nowhere near being good enough to qualify for the playoffs. This means that the Bulls have exactly 24 games left to assess what they have and what they need.

Will Kris Dunn be a part of the Bulls’ future plans? What position should the Bulls target in the 2019 draft? What’s Lauri Markkanen’s ceiling? The Bulls’ primary focus for the remainder of the 2018-19 season will be finding answers to questions like these.

Some Bulls fans are worried that the Bulls might win too many games during this final stretch of the season and subsequently hurt their chances of getting a quality player in the draft, but that’s an unnecessary worry. Sure, if the Bulls rattle off a 12-game winning streak, we might have a problem on our hands. But the new NBA draft lottery odds have made it so teams like the Bulls can focus on improvement, while also looking forward to getting a star player in the draft.

In other words, Bulls fans should be more concerned with how the team progresses over the next 24 games than how many “bad wins” they get. It’s highly unlikely that the Bulls will win (or lose) enough games to dramatically change their lottery odds.

First up for the Bulls post-All-Star break will be the Orlando Magic.

The Magic are currently riding a five-game winning streak and have a puncher’s chance at making the playoffs. A home win against the Bulls on Friday night would surely increase Orlando’s chances of sneaking into postseason play.

After the game in Orlando, the schedule gets a little more interesting for Chicago. The Bulls will have a nice mix of games against quality championship contenders and fellow Zion Williamson-hopefuls. If the Bulls lose their games against the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns, then fine – their lottery odds will likely improve. But I’d much rather see the Bulls beat the other bottom feeders – showing fans that Chicago is further along in the rebuilding process than their competitors.

There will be plenty of opportunities to lose games in the final couple months when the Bulls play Philly three times, Toronto twice and other playoff-hopeful teams like the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.

The final leg of the 2018-19 season for the Bulls should be filled with progress and assessment. Hopefully, by the time the playoffs roll around, Chicago will have a good idea of who they want on their roster moving forward.

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If the Bulls get some clarity over the next two months, the final leg of the 2018-19 season can be considered a success.

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