The Chicago Bulls were an almost perfectly average team last season, ending the year only two losses away from a dead-even 41-41 record. Considering the lack of moves made to fix that middling mediocrity, it should come as no surprise that the Bulls find themselves in all-too-familiar spots in the opening editions of this season's NBA power rankings.
Chicago landed in the low-to-mid 20s nearly every week during the 2024-25 campaign. Given that the team regularly hovered around the No. 9 or 10 seed in the Eastern Conference and was just good enough to crack the Play-In Tournament for the third straight year, that was often accurate
Experts around the league -- and most fans, for that matter -- apparently aren't anticipating a major move up the ladder in 2025-26. Or a major one down, either.
Chicago Bulls Week 1 NBA Power Rankings Roundup
If you didn't get used to seeing the Bulls in these spots a year ago, do so now, because barring some significant unforeseen circumstances, there's nothing to suggest it will change.
The Stein Line Substack: No. 24
Last February (that's how long ago this exercise was even worth doing for Chicago), long-time insider Marc Stein had the Bulls ranked No. 19. A mesmerizingly boring offseason and a few injuries later, he has them dropping five spots.
Stein admits that the hype surrounding sophomore forward Matas Buzelis is legitimate, but that it isn't enough to convince voters to expect anything different in the Windy City, especially with the team's top scorer, Coby White, starting the season on the bench with a calf strain.
The one development that could help the Bulls actually make a leap? A full season of the same White-Josh Giddey backcourt that became one of the best in the NBA after the All-Star break last year.
ESPN: No. 24
The Worldwide Leader echoes most of Stein's opinions. The No. 24 spot in the rankings, sure, but also the legitimate buzz surrounding Buzelis. They list the Bulls' biggest strength as their run-and-gun style and include a fun stat: Billy Donovan's team racked up "21.1 transition possessions per game last season, the most by any team in a season since player tracking began in 2013-14, according to GeniusIQ."
ESPN's biggest concern is the organization's lack of direction. That's everybody's concern.
Bleacher Report: No. 22
Chicago already dropped a spot from this outlet's earlier preseason power rankings, a pretty damning development, but Andy Bailey does include some nuggets of positivity.
The quartet of White, Giddey, Buzelis and Kevin Huerter was a plus-11.7 points per 100 possessions last year. And Buzelis had a stellar preseason, averaging nearly 18 points per game in barely 23 minutes per contest.
The Bulls kick off the regular season tonight, Oct. 22, at home against the Detroit Pistons. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. CT.