Early observations on Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson have opened the door for the Bulls to have positive expectations about the upcoming 2026-27 NBA offseason.
Those expectations are likely bolstered by the presence of a new Bulls head coach in Tiago Splitter, and new front office leadership led by Bulls lead decision-maker Bryson Graham.
Where the expectations are tethered to earth are on the subject of the Bulls' defense. On Friday, The Athletic’s Law Murray published a power ranking of all 30 teams in the NBA in reaction to the balance of power shift created by the Philadelphia 76ers signing forward LeBron James via free agency (subscription required).
Murray’s assessment of the Bulls is bleak and requires an urgent response by the Bulls to change the media perceptions of their roster.
Of all 30 NBA franchises, Murray ranked the Bulls 29th, while making it implicitly clear that the Bulls are not built to defend NBA opponents on a consistent level.
"The won't be good but they might have the league's highest scoring games."Law Murray
The lean assessment Murray provided on the power-deficient Bulls is much a sobering reminder of how much work lies ahead for the franchise, as much as the assessment is also frankly an evergreen assessment of a franchise that hasn’t had a consistent and unanimous positive defensive reputation since Tom Thibodeau was the Bulls’ head coach.
The NBA’s power dynamics have changed
Perhaps there was a period of time in the NBA in which winning basketball could be accomplished simply by relying on three-point shooting as a competitive advantage.
That construct is largely a relic of the mid to late 2010s. In the 2020s, the NBA gameplay pendulum has swung back to attacking the paint, utilizing traditional bigs, and projecting physicality in scoring and defense.
The evolution of guards over the last five NBA seasons underscores these points when you reflect on the style of play delivered to the NBA by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the New York Knicks Jalen Brunson, or the burgeoning guard tandem of Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Bulls' inflection point is clear
Chicago is fundamentally a professional sports city that expects tenacious defense in their winning teams. The Chicago Bears dichotomy of defensive-led trips to the 1985 NFL season and 2006 NFL season Super Bowls, coupled with economical quarterback contributions, is the poster child of this concept.
The Bulls historical apex in the NBA, the 1990s, is forever canonized for former Bulls assistant coach Tex Winter’s famed triangle offense, and at the same time, any member of the Bulls first three-peat run of championships from 1991 to 1993 will quickly remind you that Winter’s defensive counterpart, Johnny Bach, was equally important to the Bulls winning their first three NBA titles via his “Doberman Defense” scheme.
Defense is the DNA of great Chicago Bulls teams, and the Bulls' Graham and Splitter braintrust must bring in roster talent that honors this tradition and show the door to any player who can’t live up to that standard of NBA basketball.
Add us as a preferred source on Google