Without changes, the Bulls are set to be atrocious in this area

The Chicago Bulls have had a baffling offseason that came a year and a half too late and has left them with a wonky roster. 

After trading away Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan for Josh Giddey, Chris Duarte and some second-round picks, the Bulls have certainly gotten worse, which isn’t the worst thing considering they own a top-10 protected pick in next year’s loaded draft. 

But they haven’t managed to trade Zach LaVine or Nikola Vucevic yet, so there is concern that the Bulls are just good enough to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference, but not good enough to make the playoffs, a familiar place to be in. 

For those who are worried the Bulls may not be bad enough to tank, fear not, as their defense (as is stands right now) is going to be atrocious, so bad that it should ensure the Bulls keep their pick. 

Ayo Dosunmu fills the Alex Caruso role, but then what? 

The Bulls were 17th in points allowed last season, as mediocre as they were at everything else. They just lost their best defender in Caruso and a solid one in DeMar DeRozan and have replaced them with question marks. 

The Bulls do have a couple of solid defensive players, including Ayo Dosunmu, who now takes the title of Chicago’s best perimeter defender. 

He’s not going to replace Caruso, but he’s a versatile defender who can take on tough assignments and be a stopper at the point of attack. 

The issues here are that Dosunmu may not start (though he could play starter’s minutes) and that he’s only one guy. They can slot him into the Caruso role as the all-purpose pesky defender who makes hustle plays, but beyond Dosunmu, it gets grim.