As the offseason has become quiet, most teams have their roster for the upcoming season.
For the Chicago Bulls, bringing back All-Star Zach LaVine and adding veteran depth in Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic sets the team up for a hopeful longer playoff run this coming season.
John Schuhmann of NBA.com put together an Offseason Power Rankings for the Eastern Conference, where the Bulls land at No. 6, right where they finished at the end of the 2021-22 regular season.
Schuhmann speaks to health as Chicago’s biggest downfall last season, as Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Patrick Williams missed large parts of the season, hindering the Bulls’ defense in the second half of the season.
Schuhmann:
Better health than they had last season will surely help the Bulls, especially on defense. They ranked 11th on that end of the floor before Alex Caruso was lost for nearly three months (with Lonzo Ball’s season-ending injury coming less than four weeks later), and Patrick Williams — who played in far fewer games (17) than Ball (35) or Caruso (41) — could be their most important defender going forward. Ball and Williams were opening-night starters, but played just 107 total minutes (in five games) together.
Along with a more healthy Zach LaVine, who was hindered by knee discomfort following the All-Star break, and another career-like season from DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls should project to be a better team come 2022-23.
More health and more depth will go a long way in helping Chicago propel past the first round of the playoffs.
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