The Chicago Bulls have been stuck in the no-man's land of teams that haven’t bottomed out but aren’t good enough to really compete for anything meaningful.
They’ve shown signs of a possible rebuild but a quick look at their payroll shows it was a half-measure that may not have the desired results, as the Bulls might again be just good enough to deny themselves a top-10 draft pick.
HoopsHype recently ranked the top-100 players currently in the NBA and the Bulls were well represented, with four players making the cut. But their placement on the list shows a continued theme for the Bulls, one that might lead to the familiar land of mediocrity.
Chicago Bulls on the top-100 players list
The Bulls had four players ranked in the top-100:
#89: Nikola Vucevic
#72: Josh Giddey
#70: Coby White
#62: Zach LaVine
While it’s nice to have four players on the list, it does show some of the problems the Bulls are facing, as two guys are young players they are hoping will make big leaps and two are guys they are actively trying to trade.
I’d argue that Vucevic is wildly overrated given his defensive liabilities and LaVine is coming off a season-ending surgery and is a complete unknown at this point. Giddey is in the first year with a new team and White is trying to make the leap from role player to star.
The Bulls’ representatives are all on the back half of the list, which shows a continued theme for Chicago, one they will have to end if they ever want to climb back into the elite of the NBA.
The good-not-great Chicago Bulls
One thing is clear from looking at this list: You need to have one top-20 player (at least) to be a serious title contender in the NBA.
All of the best teams have one or more players in the top-20 or at least the top half of the top-100 while the Bulls’ best players are in the meaty good-but-not-great part of the curve of talent in the NBA.
This has been a theme for the Bulls, who have had plenty of good players over the years, but no true superstars, which are necessary if you want to regularly compete for the playoffs.
DeMar DeRozan is the closest the Bulls have had recently, and he is ranked 45th on the list for next season, a very good player, but if he’s your best guy, your team is likely bound for the play-in tournament or lottery.
If the Bulls want to change the narrative, they have to land a star or hope one of their young players becomes one, and there is some hope.
A future star for the Chicago Bulls?
Both Josh Giddey and Coby White have a chance to climb the ranks by putting up big numbers in expanded roles next season.
Giddey is only 21, and he’s going to rack up stats for the Bulls next season, so he has a chance to crack into the top-50.
The same can be said for White, who should be the beneficiary of more shots with DeRozan in Sacramento and he too has a chance to break into the top-50.
That’s not a bad start, and when you factor in Matas Buzelis and hopefully a top-10 pick in a loaded 2025 draft, the Bulls could be on their way to having enough top-50 talent to compete sustainably.
LaVine and Vucevic will likely be traded at some point, so that leaves the younger Bulls and kids who haven’t even been drafted yet as the best hope for Chicago to get the star they need.
