The Big Question: Did the Bulls Actually Get Better This…

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Saturday, September 26

The Bulls spent the offseason adding a rim protector and a scorer to a team that ranked 25th in offense and 22nd in defense last season, drafting two more prospects into a roster that already averages under 24 years old. The additions look real on paper, but four of the players the season depends on are not yet full participants in camp.

Bulls Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

The upgrade case. Nic Claxton arrives from Brooklyn to anchor a defense that ranked 22nd in the league last season at 117.4. Norman Powell, who averaged 21.7 points a game last season, joins an offense that ranked 25th at 112.1. Both are real, established NBA producers, not projects.

The same core. Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro, Jalen Smith and Patrick Williams all carry over from the 31-51 team that finished with a -5.3 net rating. That group did not change; only the names around it did.

Camp arrives banged up. Giddey, Rob Dillingham, Zach Collins and Dailyn Swain are all listed as not yet cleared, each with an estimated return of October 1. That is four of the newer or younger pieces sitting out before a single preseason game.

The draft additions. Caleb Wilson came in at the top of the draft and Dailyn Swain at 15, both joining a roster that already averages under 24 years old. Neither has played an NBA game; both are already banked on to matter.

Money says commitment. Chicago carries $161.5 million against the cap, led by Giddey's $25.0 million, Claxton's $23.1 million, Powell's $21.5 million and Williams' $18.0 million. That is real money on players who have one season together, at most, on the same roster.

New coach, clean picks. Tiago Splitter takes over after Billy Donovan stepped down at 31-51, with Bryson Graham now running basketball operations. The Bulls kept their own top picks through 2029, owing only a 2027 second-rounder to Oklahoma City, so nothing here was mortgaged to make this bet.

The verdict. On paper this is a better team than the one that finished 31-51: it fixed the two worst-ranked units with proven veterans instead of hope. But the core that produced last year's numbers is still the majority of the roster, untested together and already missing four pieces before camp is done.

On deck Preseason opens October 7 against the Suns, then the Grizzlies, Nuggets and Bucks, before the regular-season opener October 21 at Toronto.

Are the Bulls better this season than last year's 31-51 team?

On paper, yes — Nic Claxton and Norman Powell are proven answers to last season's worst-ranked defense and offense. But most of the roster that produced that record is still here, so the improvement has not been tested yet.

Who is the Bulls' new head coach?

Tiago Splitter, hired in June 2026 after Billy Donovan stepped down when the 2025-26 season ended at 31-51.