Chicago Bulls 2026-2027 Season Preview: Building A Foundation

It's a new era of Bulls basketball.

Every new regime carries hope into the building. The old is gone; the new is here. General managers are brought on board because the team has failed, and Bryson Graham is here to put the Bulls on a completely different path.

Due to the cyclical nature of team builds, this could be the start of a path to contention. Chicago is desperate for a winning basketball team after decades of losing. Or we can end up right here again in a few years.

This is the start of it all. A new foundation is being laid on the United Center floor. Will it build into something special, or will it crumble? Let's take a look at how this season will define this next era.

I instinctively want to call this team the Baby Bulls. We saw a few iterations of the Baby Bulls since the Jordan era, so it must be our default setting for a rebuilding team. In some ways, it applies to this version of the Bulls.

Josh Giddey is only 24 years old and is locked up for the next 3 seasons. Matas Buzelis is in Year 3 and has superstar potential. Caleb Wilson is the presumed franchise player at only 20 years old. That may be the end of the "core", but Noa Essengue, Dailyn Swain, and even Leonard Miller could become fixtures in the lineup at 22 and under.

With a handful of expiring and/or flexible contracts, the Bulls are set up to acquire draft capital and add to their future cupboard of young talent. Even though there is a patchwork group of veterans set to play key roles this season, it isn't guaranteed that they will stick around into a contention window.

So why won't this team be the Baby Bulls again?

1) Lottery Reform

The rebuild technically starts now under Bryson Graham, but the talent level on the roster is already equal to or better than anything Arturas Karnisovas compiled after the Lonzo Ball injury. Normal Powell is an All-Star and should be their leading scorer. The center position may actually defend the rim. The bench has the potential to give other teams fits if young players fit into the new team identity.

With tanking dethroned as the way to most likely acquire future superstars, Graham impressively thread the needle between building for long-term success and setting up the team for a top player in next year's draft. They won't finish 1 through 3 and lose 60 games. This isn't a team full of rookies set out to dry in a difficult conference. He wanted a "competent" roster to usher development.

2) Future Stars

In a perfect world, the Bulls already have 2 future stars. 2 centerpieces on a championship team. 2 building blocks to arrange everyone else around. Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson can join forces in Year 1 of this rebuild and can take flight much quicker than other young duos. Normally, the sell-off would be the first order of business, followed by years of high draft picks. We aren't waiting around this time.

Who are the Chicago Bulls?

Tiago Splitter wants to establish a new culture and implement championship habits. Ben Johnson language, anyone? That's obviously much needed and can legitimately change the course of an organization. The more intriguing question is: who will they be on the court?

Splitter wants them to play hard all the time. They will be "aggressive" on defense and "free" on offense. He'll cater to his players' strengths.

If we rewind to recent years, the Bulls changed their play style numerous times. In the magical 2021-2022 season, they would run and gun on offense and lock down the point of attack on defense. When they didn't have a point guard for years, they slowed everything down and gave DeMar DeRozan full authority to play iso ball in the halfcourt. When that put them at a disadvantage for too long, they switched it up with the intent of being the fastest pace team in the league. They went from 28th in the NBA in PACE (98.0) to 2nd in the last two seasons (105.3 and 105.0).

Every message was contradictory, and every intention resulted in the same .500 record. Billy Donovan was great about putting his players in position to succeed and adapting to the rosters he was given. Meanwhile, Karnisovas stuck with the same group for 2 or 3 years without any hope of winning. They wanted to build through the draft, then traded everyone for veterans, then wanted to buckle down, then wanted to chuck up 3s. There was no plan, and the scoreboard reflected that.

So what will we see this season? We can only hope for fundamentally sound basketball and guys who play hard. Chicago style.

The defense should drastically improve with Claxton and Collins manning the paint. Powell is tough and experienced, and Buzelis and Wilson are athletic freaks who want to dominate on the defensive end. The offense will run through Giddey and will either explode or become stagnant. They may not have enough outside shooting or playmaking from their wings until they play together for a longer period of time. Either way, there will be way more dunks this season.

Matas and Caleb. Buzelis and Wilson. 14 and 8. Chicago-born and Chicago-adopted.

They are the franchise.

The Bulls have been stuck in no-man’s land for too long with no real plan to acquire a star. Karnisovas didn’t even believe a star was necessary in order to win a championship. Somehow, Buzelis fell to them at #11 in the draft, and they moved up to #4 in the lottery in a 4-player draft this year to land Wilson. Athletic wings win in the NBA, and the Bulls now have two with a limitless ceiling.

“He feels like my twin.” - Matas Buzelis

They were born to be teammates. Talent is one aspect of success, but a relentless drive to become the greatest basketball player on the planet is another. Both players will stop at nothing to climb the mountaintop. They love basketball, they love the process, and they wholeheartedly believe they will become the best.

1) Who will be their second best player this season?

Norman Powell will lead the charge. He’s an established vet and reigning All-Star. Best case scenario for the Bulls is if Matas Buzelis takes a huge step. Caleb Wilson will have too much of a learning curve in his rookie season, and Josh Giddey tends to struggle with turnover and defensive deficiencies. If it’s not Buzelis, the record will be ugly, and the future will be questioned.

2) Will the frontcourt lock down the paint?

The inability to defend the rim has plagued the Bulls. Nikola Vucevic showed more technical ability on the defensive end than he was given credit for, but he was still a liability as the last line of defense. It’s been ages since the Bulls had a true rim protector, and the entire outlook of their defense can change if Claxton, Collins, Smith, etc. settle into that role.

3) Will they have an effective rotation or only a starting 5?

At least 8 bench players will make their case to be included in a 10 (?) man rotation under Tiago Splitter. Depth can be an advantage this year, but 5 players need to be reliable enough to become mainstays. Did Graham truly create competency or just a laundry list of bodies who will eventually be shipped out?

4) Can Dailyn Swain be the first ball handler off the bench?

It’s clear the Bulls see Swain as a primary ball handler. It will take time. By the end of the season, will they trust him with the ball in his hands? It seems like the goal would be to have him lead the second unit. Tre Jones can play off the ball. Having another long and athletic point guard would fit the mold and create uniformity throughout each game.

5) Will Josh Giddey be a long-term fit?

There were plenty of SLAP jokes regarding Giddey over the summer. I believe he’s a very good player with improvement still on the table. His strides since coming to Chicago were unbelievable as he learned to use his size on offense and showed consistent effort on defense. Right now, he’s a part of the core and one of their best players. After a year of forming identities…will he be a trade candidate?

40-42, Miss Playoffs

Bold Predictions

1) Team defense will finish Top 15 (points against)
2) Jalen Smith will be traded
3) Nic Claxton will average a double-double for the first time in his career
4) Matas Buzelis will score 20+ points per game
5) Team will finish Bottom 5 in 3PT% and 3PT volume