At the beginning of each season, the Chicago Bulls staff and players arrive at Media Day with a clear theme for what they want the team to embody. In 2024, it was "pace," in 2023 it was "continuity," and in 2022 it was simply "to compete." For the 2025-26 season, that theme builds on last year’s focus of on-court improvement, boiling it down to one word: physicality.
That word came up countless times throughout each interview, signaling a shared commitment to toughness as the Bulls aim to take the next step toward contending for a playoff spot, using last year’s Play-In Tournament loss as the perfect example.
Using the Play-In Tournament as motivation
The conversation began with executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan reflecting on the lessons from the team’s third consecutive play-in tournament loss. "I think we saw what happened in the play-in game. The level of physicality went up, and we couldn't handle it," Karnisovas said. Donovan then added, "There’s a lot of things you can do. Offensive rebounding, taking care of the basketball, deflections, charges. We were not a great team on loose balls. Those are the areas I think we can help ourselves make a jump."
Players echoed the front office's point of view. Coby White emphasized that the next leap for the team requires a more physical approach, especially on defense. "We felt like the last two years when we played Miami in the play-in, they were the more physical team, and I think for us to take that next step as a team and as a unit, especially on the defensive end, is just to become more physical," White stressed.
Josh Giddey, who recently signed his 4-year, $100 million contract extension, reinforced the importance of setting the tone early. "We have to be the ones to throw the first punch out of the gate and get other teams on their back foot to get the games on our terms," he said.
Physicality in the future
While the players pointed to last season’s play-in defeat as motivation, the majority of the focus was on how the team is preparing to improve from a physicality perspective. One new name was frequently mentioned as a leader in that effort. "Isaac Okoro has been really speaking about physicality. He's been battling through the screens. It helps all the other guys. They see that and they want to do that too. He's been a great leader on that," said second-year phenom Matas Buzelis.
White had similar praise for Okoro, noting his immediate impact. "Obviously, from playing against him, he's very physical. He's a menace defensively," he stated.
For the Bulls, the message is clear: physicality cannot just be talk. Last year’s focus on pace helped propel the team to the second-fastest tempo in the league, and this season they aim to achieve a similar impact through increased physicality. “I think you'll see it a lot more this year. For sure,” Buzelis mentioned. If the team hopes to continue its upward trajectory, improvement will come one step at a time.