Sustained success has largely eluded the Chicago Bulls over the last 10 years. However, mediocrity, more than outright failure, has been the Bulls’ greatest obstacle. Chicago is notoriously 164-164 in its last four seasons, but not long before, it was much worse.
Prior to hiring Head Coach Billy Donovan in 2020, Jim Boylen oversaw the Bulls for the better part of two seasons. Boylen was promoted to head coach in 2018 after Fred Hoiberg was relieved of his duties following a 5-19 start. Boylen led Chicago to a 17-41 record over the final 58 contests.
Jim Boylen's tenure as the Bulls' Head Coach was disastrous
After a catastrophic 22-win season, the Bulls decided to give Boylen another go, this time as the head coach from the beginning of the season. Ahead of the 2019-20 season, Boylen rolled out some odd ideas, like a punch time clock to log his players’ practice attendance.
Nonetheless, the punch time clock was merely the opening act in Boylen’s string of gimmicks—what followed was even worse. Boylen ushered in a new (old) era of practices, including wind sprints and military-style push-ups, a practice workout typically reserved for seventh graders, not NBA professionals.
Moreover, Boylen's on-court philosophy was drastically different than that of Hoiberg's. Prioritizing discipline, Boylen opted for a slow-paced, defensive-oriented approach—a stark contrast from Hoiberg's uptempo, space-and-pace offense.
Then, as Zach LaVine and the Bulls adjusted to Boylen's methods, while losing plenty of games, the head coach backed his strategy, stating things like, "We have to crawl before we walk, and we’ve got to walk before we run," and comparing his coaching style to some of the league greats, such as Gregg Popovich and Rudy Tomjanovich.
While his coaching style was questionable at best, his treatment of players was arguably worse. When his grueling practices weren’t enough, Boylen would call late timeouts in blowouts, seemingly to embarrass his team, and even draw up plays in situations that held no real meaning.
All in all, the Boylen hire was a complete disaster. Players, fans, and ownership quickly realized it. Thus, Boylen was fired after just one season. For a full, detailed look of Boylen's tenure, The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry provides a fantastic account.
The Pacers made the move to promote Boylen to associate head coach
Boylen finished his Bulls' career with a 39-84 record—the second-worst winning percentage in franchise history. Following his stint with the Bulls, Boylen took over the USA Basketball's FIBA World Cup Qualifying teams before landing with the Indiana Pacers in 2023.
The Indiana Pacers are promoting assistant coach Jim Boylen to the front of the bench, joining Lloyd Pierce and Jenny Boucek. https://t.co/8KpJXiKjqf
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 25, 2025
Two years later, following an NBA Championship appearance, the Pacers have promoted Boylen to associate head coach, the same title he held in Chicago from 2015 to 2018. Consequently, Boylen is the next in line to take over if Rick Carlisle were to depart the organization.
While Boylen has undoubtedly built a long résumé as an assistant coach—spanning more than two decades—it’s striking to see the much-maligned ex-head coach elevated to a role just below the lead decision-maker, a scenario many Bulls fans know could spell trouble.