Chicago Bulls: Predicting 2019-20 regular season record

With the offseason coming to a close, most teams have finalized their roster for the upcoming season. Let’s predict how the Chicago Bulls will fare.

Other than the last spot or two on a teams roster and/or barring a blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade, most teams have their roster set. Although the East lost Kawhi Leonard, most teams have stayed relatively the same. So based on the current outlook of the Eastern Conference, without taking into account potential injuries, we can try predicting where the Chicago Bulls will be.

So first off, there are 5 teams for sure that are locks for the playoffs (barring injuries): The 76ers, Bucks, Pacers, Celtics and Nets. These 5 teams have bona fide star talent on their roster that can easily help their teams to over 48 wins at least. The standings of these teams would depend on injuries and team chemistry, as those teams have tinkered with their roster a bit.

Where would the Chicago Bulls and head coach Jim Boylen fit into this picture?

Another two teams that I see as near locks for the playoffs are the Raptors and the Heat. Although the Raptors lost Kawhi recently, their roster is still good enough to make the playoffs. They still have an all star caliber point guard in Kyle Lowry and a star in the making in Pascal Siakam. Those two as well as their veteran supporting cast would be enough to make the playoffs in a weak conference.

Then there’s the Heat. Just purely the addition of Jimmy Butler is enough to push the Heat, who were only 4 or 5 games out last year, to the playoffs. If they were to add Westbrook, then I would be inclined to put them as a playoff lock, but for now they are in the near lock category.

That leaves one spot remaining in the East. Although I do believe that the Bulls will be a 30+ win team, I don’t think that they’re the front runners for the 8th spot. I’d say that the Magic and Pistons have a better chance at getting that last spot, simply because both were in the playoffs last year and that they improved their roster from the year before. I would probably give the edge to the Magic as their defense is elite, but this could change as it’s rumored that the Pistons are going hard for Westbrook.

Although I hate it, this puts the Bulls in the bottom half of the conference. However, it doesn’t mean that the season is lost. The Bulls have a young roster with a few players having all star potential. Their season, in my opinion, could mimic the Kings of last season, being uber competitive and showing that they have the pieces to make a playoff run.

I don’t think that they’ll do as well as the Kings did last year, but I still see the Bulls winning around 30-35 games this season, which is a huge improvement over last year. The Bulls have a similar roster, in terms of youth, to the Hawks and the Knicks, which is  the tier the Bulls would be in.

Regardless, this year is to showcase the young guys and give them minutes to see if they’re the core that can make a playoff push in 2 or 3 years.

My Prediction: The Bulls will post a record of 34-42 next season and finish as the 10th seed.