Chicago Bulls may not be as bad as you think, one insider says

The Chicago Bulls landed 20th in the NBA Power Rankings from Bleacher Report insider Andy Bailey, but that ranking isn’t as bad as it seems. The analysis was pretty positive, which is a bit different from most of the discussion of the Bulls this offseason.

“There’s a hint of uncertainty around the Bulls, thanks to the fact that Josh Giddey remains unsigned. But without any real cap space, the restricted free agent is likely to return,” Bailey said. While Giddey doesn’t change the team, keeping him does avoid a major talent loss from last year to this.

But that reunion will provide Chicago with the talent it needs to compete. “And when he was on the floor with Coby White, Kevin Huerter, Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic (the starting five over the closing kick of the season), Chicago had a comfortably positive point differential,” he added.

That five-man unit for the Bulls was pretty solid, and bringing Giddey back means they can once again have at least a competitive unit to roll out next year. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that lineup will outscore its opponents again, but there’s at least some reason for optimism with Giddey’s playmaking and plenty of shooting around it,” Bailey concluded.

Plus, Giddey seemed to really round into form after the All-Star break. He played much better in the second half, so there’s reason to assume that the 22-year-old guard hasn’t hit his ceiling just yet. He could get even better and make the Bulls a little better, too.

So while they’re still the 20th-ranked team in the NBA and a team that hasn’t exactly set itself up for the future very well, the Bulls do have some reasons for optimism heading into the immediate future.