After a blowout loss at the hands of the Miami Heat sans-Jimmy Butler, the Chicago Bulls season has ended in the play-in for the second straight year.
Nearly three years since their magical start to the 2021-22 campaign, Artūras Karnišovas and co. seem to be desperately waiting around for a spark to rekindle that flame which is falling further and further into the past, putting the team in neutral in the process.
Now, in an offseason that’s set to be chock-full of important decisions, it seems like the front office will finally be forced to make a choice; put the team back into gear and move forward again, or let the wheels at long last fall off completely.
That's where the important caveat for evaluating the Bulls' 2024 draft needs comes into play. With DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Andre Drummond's contracts expiring, Zach LaVine trade rumors (that seemed to finally be coming to fruition at the deadline before a season-ending injury) are kicking up again. Additionally, perhaps with the long-awaited return of Lonzo Ball, the roster could branch off in a dozen different directions, each with different unique needs.
No matter how things go down this summer, we’ve identified three holes the Bulls could plug in the 2024 draft which, despite not having identifiable star-level talent, is filled with players who would be helpful additions to Chicago's roster in any form.
1. A (Healthy) Defensive-Minded Playmaker
The Bulls guard room is… crowded to say the least, and not necessarily in a good way.
Let’s start with the positives. As we all know, Coby White has undoubtedly been the team's breakout star. After a borderline most-improved season where he took the long-awaited (yet unexpected) step up to high-level volume scorer, the former Tar Heel's 3-year, $36 million deal is looking like the best contract in basketball.
Stepping up alongside him was Ayo Dosunmu, whose improved shooting and overall feel for the game saw him flourish down the home stretch beside White. Those two form a really strong foundation for any future Bulls backcourt.
Alex Caruso was his usual spectacular self on the defensive end, but, with only one more year left on his deal, and a value that’s almost certainly higher to contending teams than the Bulls, you’d expect him to be traded sooner rather than later.
From there, you get into some question marks. Lonzo is a total unknown at this point, even though the Chicago brass say he’ll be ready for the start of next year. LaVine had a down year when healthy, and seems to be on his way out. Dalen Terry showed flashes, but he’s still incredibly raw on the offensive end. Finally, free agent signing Jevon Carter had a couple of nice moments, but for the most part wholly underperformed.
That’s a lot of names, but only two of them seem to be truly nailed down long-term. For such a large group of guards, they’re missing one extremely important attribute. Playmaking.
The Bulls guards ranked just 27th in the NBA in assist percentage last season and lack a true PG, or at least a true PG that’s stepped on the court within the last two years. Plus, their impact perimeter defenders (Caruso, Terry, Lonzo) are one, probably on the trade block, two, lack the offensive skills to stay on the court consistently, or 3, can’t stay healthy.
Assuming Lonzo never comes back to full health (or can only fulfill a Jonothan Isaac-level role) Chicago could use their 2024 pick to find a long-term PG who can playmake and defend, letting Coby White focus on what he does best; score the basketball.
2. High-Volume Outside Shooting
Ranking 30th, 30th, and 26th in three point attempts per game over the last three seasons, long range shooting hasn’t really ever been an integral part of this iteration of the Bulls offensive game, which is to be expected when a renowned midrange specialist like DeMar DeRozan is taking the lion's share of the shots.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of elite teams in the modern NBA don’t rely on high volume from beyond the arc to succeed. Look no further than the defending champion Denver Nuggets, who were the only team this season to finish behind the Bulls in three-point attempt rate. Other solid playoff teams like the Lakers also ranked near the bottom of the league in three-point attempts but were able to find plenty of success.
That’s where a very important caveat comes in. If you’re going to attempt that few threes as a team, you better be efficient while doing it. While the Lakers and Nuggets both finished in the top ten in three-point percentage, the Bulls were a lowly 20th.
Chicago did employ some effective catch-and-shoot guys last season (Caruso, Dosunmu, Patrick WIlliams, etc) but they lacked shooters who could create for themselves when Lavine went down outside of Coby White, a problem that will only become more apparent if Zach is traded in the offseason.
Even if DeRozan does return to the Windy City for another ride, he’s only getting older and the Bulls will need to think about how they want their offense to run in his absence. A great way to start would be taking a wing in the 2024 draft who can take over some of his offensive production and funnel it to the perimeter.
3. The Successor at Center
Three and a half seasons down the line, we would be remiss to call the Nikola Vucevic era in Chicago anything other than an abject failure. Advertised as a floor spacing big with elite rebounding skills, Vuc’s 2020-21 All-Star season ended up being more of an aberration than a substantial leap forward.
While he still does quite a few things well, particularly on the glass, the former Orlando Magic big man is a below-average rim protector, gets to the line a shockingly low amount for someone his size, and what ended up being the nail in the coffin, is a downright liability from beyond the arc.
Even though the Montenegrin international has two more years left on his deal, it feels more and more likely the Bulls brass will look to move on from their high-profile investment and look toward the future at the center position, especially considering backup Andre Drummond is almost certainly leaving in free agency.
The question is, what type of center should the Bulls be looking for in the 2024 NBA draft if they choose to go that route?
A shot-swatting monster who can splash threes like Wemby would be ideal, but you don’t have to leave Texas to find a far more realistic comparison. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II have been a breath of fresh air for the Dallas Mavericks, providing a wonderfully proportioned combination of rim protection, pick-and-roll acumen, and rebounding.
Finding a long, lanky big who can block a few shots, build some chemistry with White and Donsumnu, and put in work on the boards seems like a fairly achievable goal for the upcoming draft.