The Chicago Bulls went 2-2 from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2 and have a record of 9-13 six weeks in the 2024-25 NBA season.
It marked the second consecutive week the Bulls finished with a .500 record.
The week started with an Emirates NBA Cup win, a 127-108 victory over the Washington Wizards that kept Chicago alive in the tournament.
The next night came a 133-119 loss to the Orlando Magic but saw the return of Lonzo Ball.
The Bulls were officially eliminated from the Cup after a 138-129 loss to the defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics but ended the week on a high note, routing the Brooklyn Nets 128-102 at the United Center.
Rookie Matas Buzelis had the best game of his young career in the win over the Nets as he scored 20 points, drained four 3-pointers and blocked a pair of shots.
Here's where some experts around the league rank Chicago among the rest of the 30 teams across the NBA this week.
NBA Power Rankings Roundup: Chicago Bulls
The Stein Line: 23rd
Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line stuck Chicago in the 23rd spot of their power rankings.
Fischer reported last week that the Bulls were adding Ball to their list of available veterans alongside Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig.
Stein added a few days later that Chicago was confident it would make at least one significant deal before the February trade deadline.
They called the Bulls one of the "most fascinating teams" in the NBA this season, considering their need to finish with one of the sixth-worst records in the league to guarantee they keep their top-10 pick in the 2025 draft.
Chicago's spot at No. 23 on these power rankings has them as the seventh-worst team.
The Athletic: 22nd
The NBA staff at The Athletic has been consistent with the Bulls all season. Last week, they had the team ranked 22nd, and this week, Chicago occupies the same spot.
They briefly detail Josh Giddey's debut season with the Bulls after coming over from Oklahoma City in the Alex Caruso trade.
They mention that Giddey's floor general abilities have taken the ball out of Coby White's hands and are perhaps stunting his development despite Giddey's poor overall offense game.
They finish by mentioning LaVine's and Vucevic's efficient shooting starts.
NBA.com: 22nd
Like the writers at The Athletic, John Schumann of NBA.com has the Bulls at 22nd, once again referencing the team's pace, offense and massive number of three-point attempts along with their abysmal defense. Schumann addressed the same things in his rankings last week.
Talen Horton-Tucker finally got some national recognition for his brief scoring spurts off head coach Billy Donovan's bench. Horton-Tucker has scored in double figures in five straight games despite not crossing the 18-minutes-played threshold.
HoopsHype: 22nd
Finally, we have the HoopsHype power rankings courtesy of Mike Shearer, who has Chicago ... you guessed it ... 22nd.
These power rankings come with a bit of a twist, however, which should ease Bulls fans' pain a bit.
Along with Shearer's rankings comes a reason for optimism for each team. Chicago's, he argues, is White staying as productive as last season despite the additions of Giddey and a healthy LaVine.
Arguably, more of a jump was expected of White after his rise last year, but considering those circumstances, his almost identical production could be considered a win.
He adds, "watch White’s usage after the trade deadline. There’s a chance he explodes if given a little bit more opportunity."
The Bulls play at the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, Dec. 5 this week before returning home to face the Indiana Pacers on Friday, Dec. 6 and the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, Dec. 8, with a noon tip-off.