Bulls' Complete 2022-23 Season Preview and Predictions
Something happened in the Windy City last season. Something that included the Chicago Bulls booking their first NBA playoff trip since 2017.
They'll now spend the upcoming 2022-23 campaign proving whether that something was a leap toward something greater or as good as things can get for this group.
The Bulls have a fresh, exciting feeling about them, but this isn't a particularly young roster—at least, not at the top. They follow the lead of 30-somethings DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević, plus Zach LaVine, a 27-year-old who had knee surgery in May. That makes it fair to wonder whether this core has already peaked.
Then again, that trio hasn't had a ton of time together, and the supporting cast around them features a good number of ascending prospects, so it's not like this club is lacking for potential paths to improvement.
Offseason Recap
Chicago entered the offseason having done much of its roster restructuring already.
That meant the Bulls could focus on finding some rotation-quality reserves.
One potentially arrived on draft night, as Chicago invested the No. 18 pick in combo guard Dalen Terry. He's a creative ball-handler, willing passer and active defender, but there are questions about how he'll perform as a shooter and scorer.
In free agency, the Bulls added an intimidating interior presence in Andre Drummond and a veteran floor general in Goran Dragić. Drummond scratched several of Chicago's itches for more size and physicality around the rim, while Dragić added experience, decision-making and a pinch of scoring to the point guard group.
Biggest Question
Lonzo Ball didn't have the biggest numbers or loudest highlights on last season's Bulls, but his impact rivaled anyone's.
Unfortunately, he made that most clear through his absence.
He suffered a torn meniscus on Jan. 14. Chicago was an Eastern Conference-best 27-13 at the time and had the league's eighth-best net rating (plus-2.7, per NBA.com). Ball never suited up again, and the Bulls went 19-23 while falling to 21st in net rating (minus-3.6) the rest of the way.
All these months later, Ball is still on the shelf and without a clear path back to the hardwood. He underwent his second surgery on the knee recently and admitted that missing the season "would be the worst-case scenario."
There are other questions with this club, but they all feel moot without a healthy Ball, since the Bulls only approached contender status last season when he was leading the charge.
Prediction
On paper, the Bulls look pretty good.
DeRozan was all-caps AWESOME last season, and even if he falls back a bit due to aging or regression, he can still be super helpful for this offense. There are no reasons to doubt LaVine has another All-Star effort in him. There is hope Chicago can squeeze more out of Vučević, get an injection of energy from Drummond and perhaps take care of a massive need with Patrick Williams getting healthy and potentially filling the two-way wing void.
All of that said, leveling up would be tricky even with Ball, and it's probably impossible without him. Last season, Chicago ranked 23rd in defensive efficiency and had a losing record against winning teams (22-27). Those are not the marks of a contender.
While the Bulls are surely aiming for a playoff return, the added depth in the Eastern Conference will make that challenging. It's far easier to picture Chicago fighting for its postseason life in the play-in tournament, hopefully with a healthy Ball back in the mix by then.