The Bulls open in Toronto on Wednesday with a new coach, a new front office and a rookie taken fourth, and every one of those has a precedent in this franchise's own file. The precedents do not promise anything, but they show what a turnaround here has actually looked like.
Same wall, three springs. Detroit eliminated Chicago from the playoffs in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Miami ended the Bulls' last three seasons in the play-in. The first stretch produced a coaching change, Phil Jackson for Doug Collins in 1989. The second one produced Tiago Splitter in June, after Billy Donovan stepped down following a 31-51 finish with the 25th-ranked offense.
A coach is not a roster. Jackson walked into Jordan, Pippen and Horace Grant already in the building. Splitter walks into Josh Giddey, who averaged 17.0 points and 9.1 assists last season, Matas Buzelis at 16.3 and Norman Powell at 21.7. He does not get Nic Claxton yet. Hoops Rumors reported Monday that the hamstring will cost Claxton roughly two more weeks.
Third in 1984, fourth in 2026. Jordan went third, behind Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie. Caleb Wilson went fourth in June. That is a draft slot, not a comparison. Wilson scored 17 at Denver and 16 against Minnesota in the exhibitions. The Sun-Times' Joe Cowley reported the rookie is not putting much pressure on his debut, which is the right read for a 20-year-old.
October 20 on the ledger. Chicago is 3-3 on this calendar date. The first one was a 111-121 loss at San Francisco in 1966, five days after the expansion Bulls beat St. Louis in their opener. There was an 85-69 win at New York in 1973 and a 116-104 win over Phoenix in 1979. Tomorrow's opener lands on the 21st, so the Splitter era starts a day late for this list.
New names upstairs, too. Bryson Graham took over basketball operations in May, replacing Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley. Cowley reported Graham is ready for a high-wire act as the season starts. He has room to work. The books carry $164.3 million against a $165.0 million cap, and Chicago owns its own first-round pick in each of the next four drafts.
Toronto is a real test. The Raptors went 46-36 last season with a plus-2.9 net rating. Scottie Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists, and Kawhi Leonard put up 27.9 a night in 65 games. Chicago finished at minus-5.3. Both teams come in on four days of rest, so nobody gets a fatigue excuse on night one.
Will Nic Claxton play in the Bulls' season opener?
No. Claxton is listed out with a hamstring injury, and Hoops Rumors reported he is projected to miss about two more weeks, with a return estimated around November 4.
When do the Bulls play their first regular-season game of 2026-27?
Wednesday, October 21, at the Toronto Raptors. It is the first regular-season game under head coach Tiago Splitter.
