A strong showing in the second half of the season has seen the Chicago Bulls secure a spot in the play-in tournament. However, that success doesn’t change the fact that the Bulls are still a work in progress.
Chicago is working through a roster retooling phase. That’s why they’ve traded away Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and DeMar DeRozan over the past 12 months. As a retooling team, the Bulls will undoubtedly be looking to acquire as much high-upside young talent as possible.
In a recent mock draft from Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, Chicago finds itself 10th on the board. O’Connor has the team selecting Collin Murray-Boyles out of South Carolina.
“The Nikola Vucevic and Zach Collins era has to end soon when their contracts are off the books in 2026, right? Adding a frontcourt player is needed, so CMB makes a ton of sense,” O’Connor wrote. “And Murray-Boyles operates like a defensive savant the way he locks down every position, uses his ninja-quick hands to swipe at the ball, and inhales rebounds.”
O’Connor continued.
“The offensive fit with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis could be a little clunky since Murray-Boyles is an unproven shooter, but he’s a bulldozer finisher with a playmaking feel. If he fixes his jumper, there’s All-Star upside.”
Murray-Boyle has played 32 games for South Carolina this season. He’s averaging 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s shooting 58.6% from the field; however, as O’Connor noted, his 26.5% perimeter shooting must improve.
Bulls are Coaching Matas Buzelis Hard
Since the All-Star break, rookie Matas Buzelis has begun to shine for Billy Donovan’s team. The rookie forward is averaging 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists since play resumed on Feb. 20.
Despite Buzelis’ recent production, there is clearly still plenty of room to grow and develop. According to Donovan, the next step for Buzelis is working on his screen navigation.
“He’s got to be able to navigate through screens better,” Donovan said after the Bulls downed the Portland Trail Blazers on April 4. “The one thing about him, when he is on the ball and guys do drive on him, he’s gotten much better at using his length and not fouling — really rim-protecting, blocking shots.”
Buzelis, 20, has plenty of time to develop on the defensive end. Screen navigation is often one of the things players learn after a year or two in the NBA (unless they’re a defensive specialist.) As such, there’s plenty of reason to remain high on Buzelis and what he can and does bring to the Bulls’ rotation.
Bulls Focusing on Rebuilding Through Development
According to Sam Smith of NBA.com, the Bulls won’t be looking for a quick fix via trade. Instead, the front office is committed to developing young talent and building a sustainable roster capable of contending for a championship.
“The Bulls seem pretty done with the big-time-free-agent Alpha route and Big Three makeup,” Sam Smith wrote. “…But since the Vučević trade it seems like the Bulls have decided, especially with the urgency in the LaVine trade to get their own daft pick back, that the future will be more about using their own picks in an organic improvement.”
Smith continued.
“…I doubt the Bulls endanger that by trying to make a move to win once—or get to sixth—than gradually building upon what they have. It’s difficult, but it seems like they are going to pursue sustainability over the spectacular. A lot of teams like Philadelphia recently won the offseason; it’s not as valid a route anymore.”
Josh Giddey, Coby White and Buzelis are clearly the future of the franchise. Patrick Williams is young enough to prove himself as part of that core, too. Murray-Boyles could be the next piece to that puzzle. Still, regardless of who the Bulls select on draft night, the fanbase should rest assured that the front office has a plan in place.
