The post-Zach LaVine era in Chicago has been a winding road. The Bulls immediately defeated the Miami Heat, followed that victory by six consecutive losses, and most recently, won three straight, including victories over the Heat (again), Orlando Magic, and Indiana Pacers. These instances have all come over the Bulls' previous 15 contests.
Despite the turmoil, Chicago has stayed the course and maintained the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls have miraculously held onto 10th for 70 days. Subsequent movement does not appear to be on the peripheral. Chicago is 2.5 games behind the ninth-place Heat and 4.5 games ahead the 11th-place Philadelphia 76ers with fewer than 20 games to go.
At this juncture in the season, it's only reasonable to expect the Bulls to earn a much-maligned spot in the play-in for a third consecutive season. The Toronto Raptors, who are 5-5 over their last 10 games, are Chicago's only competition for the 10th seed. Nonetheless, the Raptors have a lot of ground to make up being five games behind the Bulls.
With that being said, we'll take a look at where experts around the NBA rank the Bulls, Raptors, and the other Eastern Conference play-in challengers.
NBA Power Rankings Roundup
Bleacher Report
Power Ranking: 23rd
The Bulls have seen a slight uptick in rank since Bleacher Report's previous iteration of power rankings. Chicago has jumped from 24 to 23. Fair warning: Bleacher Report, like most outlets, tends to point out the Bulls' propensity to challenge for a play-in spot in the Eastern Conference. While true, it's hardly overlooked.
Following the Bulls in rank are the Brooklyn Nets at 25, the Raptors at 26, and the 76ers at 27. Bleacher Report ultimately wrote off both the Nets and Sixers while highlighting the Raptors' slim likelihood of earning a postseason bid. Chicago is realistically Toronto's only competition in earning a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
ESPN
Power Ranking: 23rd
Chicago has held steady in ESPN's Power Rankings. The Bulls remain at 23 for two consecutive weeks and have for what feels like months. In Chicago's paragraph blurb, ESPN's Jamal Collier pointed out Josh Giddey's recent ascension. Although the insider did mention that Giddey's looming injury diagnosis has put a damper on the Bulls' recent surge.
ESPN and Bleacher Report's Power Rankings aren't all too different. The World Leader in Sports has the Sixers at 24, the Nets at 25, and the Raptors bringing up the rear at 26. Unlike Chicago's endorsement, the other three squads were linked to better positioning themselves in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery.
NBA.com
Power Ranking: 23rd
In its latest power rankings, NBA.com went as far as to gift the Bulls a two-spot jump. Chicago has overtaken the New Orleans Pelicans and Nets since the NBA.com's latest edition. John Schuhmann of NBA.com pointed out an interesting Bulls statistic. The pundit noted the Bulls pace the league in wins when trailing after the third quarter. Chicago is 11-32 with a deficit prior to the fourth.
Like the previous power rankings, NBA.com has Chicago's three Eastern Conference foes and the Pelicans coming in between 24 and 27. Toronto is 24, Brooklyn 26, and Philadelphia 27. The Raptors are the only team of the three to see a slight jump in rank—from 26 to 24.
The Athletic
Power Ranking: 18th
Whoa. Now, here's an outlier. The Athletic unexpectedly has the Bulls at 18th in its power rankings. Ranking 18 is a far cry from Chicago's usual 23rd through 25th rank in recent weeks. The Athletic even previously ranked the Bulls at 23rd. The five-spot jump is the largest increase in these power rankings, even more so than the Golden State Warriors' four-spot jump, who are 9-1 over their last 10 outings.
The Athletic has the Bulls ahead of the Phoenix Suns, Magic, Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Portland Trail Blazers. As anticipated, the next three squads are the Raptors, the Nets, and the 76ers. Of the Eastern Conference's 10 through 13, The Athletic only mentions the Bulls as play-in contenders.