Chicago Bulls: The most intriguing team in the Eastern Conference

Are the Chicago Bulls the most intriguing team in the Eastern Conference?

Coming off an offseason in which they made arguably the two biggest splashes in free agency, the Chicago Bulls will be entering the 2021-22 NBA season as one of the most intriguing teams in the Eastern Conference.

And it’s not only the additions of Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan, the two aforementioned splashes of the offseason, but it’s also what the team did at the NBA trade deadline just before the end of last season. In an attempt to make a late-season push for the postseason, the Bulls acquired a Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic.

After making a name for himself over the last few seasons with the Magic, Vucevic was given a fresh start with a new role on the Bulls. He’s no longer required to be the best player on any given night just to give his team a shot at winning.

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Vucevic as your best player clearly didn’t work in Orlando, but Vucevic as your second or third-best player, and the Bulls may have something to work with.

Even though the Bulls didn’t qualify for the postseason last year after the trade, there is hope and growing optimism, especially after their offseason moves, that Chicago will be one of the top eight teams in the East after the regular season.

With a projected starting 5 of Ball, DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and Vucevic, there’s a good chance that the Bulls, if they’re not really good, will at least be the most interesting watch in the East next season.

The concerns about the fit for the Chicago Bulls

Understandably so, one of the biggest reasons why many are not buying the Bulls to be a lock as a, per se, a top4 in the East is due to the fact that there is going to be an obvious concern about fit. Especially in the starting 5, there is no guarantee that they have enough shooting.

Even though Ball is coming off arguably the best shooting season of his career, there’s no guarantee that his 3-point shooting is going to continue on a consistent basis. DeRozan doesn’t currently have a 3-point shot in his arsenal, and that leaves Vucevic potentially being the only other consistent 3-point shooter (there’s not a big enough sample size on Williams).

That’s certainly not ideal and not how you want to enter the season. Then, comes the fit of Ball and DeRozan on the floor together at the same time. Both really need the ball to be effective, especially considering the DeRozan is not a spot-up shooter and that Lonzo is best with the ball in his hands.

Even though DeRozan did show flashes of improvement to his overall offensive game during his time with the San Antonio Spurs, there’s no question that the best and most attractive part of his game is his mid-range jump shot.

The hope is that LaVine, being the three-level score that he is, and Vucevic will be able to spread the floor enough for both Ball and DeRozan to operate in and around the paint area. However, there is no guarantee. And if both of their guards aren’t able to hit the 3-point shot on a consistent basis, or are respected in that aspect, no matter how much shooting you have everywhere else on the floor, it’s going to be an issue in today’s game.

Looking at the rest of the East, it’s difficult to say where exactly the Bulls will be projected to finish. If you look at the top of the conference, there are at least three teams that are locked in as the top tier of the conference – Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers.

After that, there are a group of teams that improved during the offseason that will be vying for that 4th spot – Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Bulls.

At this point, who knows where the Bulls are going to finish in the regular season. And how far this team could go if they make the postseason. One thing is clear, though, and that this roster has the potential to be one of the most intriguing teams in the league.