Despite what Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas mind-bogglingly said, the Chicago Bulls aren't making the postseason this year. Sure, they're 10th in the Eastern Conference standings as of Feb. 22, but there's plenty of time for them to fall back as the Philadelphia 76ers shoot for a playoff berth and the Brooklyn Nets continue to unearth wins.
After trading DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Zach LaVine, the Bulls have morphed into one of the NBA's youngest rosters with eight rotation players age 25 or younger. It lacks any top-level talent, but at least Karnisovas has put together a group that can develop.
With a lost season, an inexperienced roster and the potential of a high pick in the 2025 NBA Draft looming, Chicago Head Coach Billy Donovan should have some freedom to experiment now. Here are three five-man combinations Donovan should try that could benefit the Bulls moving forward (or at least be super entertaining).
3 Lineups Bulls should sample down stretch of 2024-25 season
1. Super Small Ball: Josh Giddey, Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White, Lonzo Ball, Matas Buzelis
This lineup hasn't played together at all this season, but with Giddey and Buzelis kicking into a different gear heading down the stretch run, now's the perfect time. Plus, the 6-foot-10 Buzelis hasn't been the lone big on the floor at any point this year, making this a more beneficial experiment.
Heading into a Feb. 22 matchup with the Phoenix Suns, Giddey has averaged 16.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from three over the Bulls' last 13 games.
Buzelis, meanwhile, has entered the starting lineup and, over the team's last nine games, is averaging 13.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while hitting 56.3 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three.
Putting these versions of Giddey and Buzelis in two-man actions would give the Bulls a variety of options. Giddey's high IQ and passing skills, coupled with Buzelis' explosive athleticism, could exploit defenses on the interior in the pick-and-roll. As both are seeing a dramatic uptick in three-point shooting, a pick-and-pop option is on the table for Buzelis; if defenders dip under screens to protect the paint, Giddey is proving he can hit open shots.
Ball could either play the same role as Giddey or act as a floor spacer. He, White and Dosunmu are all capable guards who could keep the ball moving and initiate secondary offense if the Giddey-Buzelis action gets bogged down.
2. Super Big Ball: Giddey, Ball, Buzelis, Patrick Williams, Jalen Smith
Given his more perimeter-oriented offensive game, Buzelis wouldn't have the same advantages as he would playing center in the above small-ball group. But as the team's leading shot blocker, his length, athleticism and instincts could wreak havoc in a free safety role.
At 6-foot-6, Ball is the team's smartest and best defender. Giddey is 6-foot-9, and although he's a poor individual defender, his long arms and, frankly, the long arms all over the floor in this unit, would give him a chance to do what he does best and poke his hand into passing lanes to create turnovers.
For all Williams' warts, he's still an athletic mover, and although the Bulls don't have a true center who can defend, Smith gives this lineup more athleticism than Nikola Vucevic. The newly-acquired Zach Collins, a far superior athlete to Vucevic, could also slot in at the five to give Donovan more size.
This group would also be able to space the floor despite its size; everyone except Ball shoots 35 percent or better from three. And with Giddey and Ball sharing the court, the Bulls' best two playmakers could run the show.
3. Screw it, let's just go for it: White, Dalen Terry, Kevin Huerter, Julian Phillips, Buzelis
This is another riff on the super small-ball group but with White's individual development and his chemistry with Buzelis as the focal point.
White is a more skilled scorer than Giddey and has some playmaking chops of his own. Along with his 18.0 points, he's averaging 4.6 assists this season, good for second on the team. The 25-year-old is a combo guard in the truest sense of the phrase. He and Buzelis would present a different yet still dynamic look for opposing defenses.
White is also an unrestricted free agent after next season. Chicago needs to see if he has another leap to take as a player or if he's simply a second scorer on a good team.
Phillips and Terry are raw and not ready for regular NBA minutes, but they're 21 and 22, respectively, and have unteachable physical gifts. Phillips is a 6-foot-8, explosive and fast wing who has flashed a decent three-point stroke. At the moment, he's the only potential true 3-and-D wing on the roster.
Terry, meanwhile, is 6-foot-7 and versatile enough to be considered both a guard and a wing. He's played more as the latter in the NBA, but he was the starting point guard at Arizona during his lone college season. He has the size, length, ballhandling and defensive chops to develop into a Swiss army knife on both ends of the floor.
The Bulls also get to take a look at Huerter as one of this lineup's top offensive options. He's having the worst season of his career but has proven to be one of the best shooters in the league when he's right.
If he finds his stroke again, he could be a solid addition given Chicago's up-tempo, three-point-heavy offense. That could earn him a spot in the team's future plans or make him attractive trade bait in the summer.