Chicago Bulls get sad label after 9-12 start

With a loss to the Brooklyn Nets last night, the Chicago Bulls slipped to 11th in the East. They would be out of the play-in after being the top seed just weeks ago. It has been ugly, with a 143-130 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans perhaps the most prudent example of how bad they’ve played.

So in giving a one-word assessment for these Bulls, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley chose “predictable.” He wrote, “Ever since the Bulls talked about not settling for mediocrity, they’ve essentially made it their calling card. They’re seemingly forever hovering around .500 and have become play-in tournament regulars.”

Buckley added that it was shameful to think the 6-1 start was an indication of a better team. “That’s just not how this organization operates, as evidenced by the dismal [3-11] debacle that immediately followed that early surge,” he wrote.

Injuries have plagued the Bulls, to be totally fair. The following players are currently out:

• Coby White
• Noa Essengue (for the year)
• Kevin Huerter
• Isaac Okoro
• Zach Collins
• Jalen Smith
• Tre Jones

It’s been Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic trying to keep this team even remotely afloat. They’ve struggled to do that. Nevertheless, Buckley said, “The healthy version of this team is who we all know it to be: Not good enough to crack the Eastern Conference’s top tiers and not bad enough to bottom out ahead of a loaded 2026 draft.” In other words, the same old Bulls.

The fact that this Bulls team is similar to last year’s isn’t all that surprising, given what little they did to change anything in the offseason. But the hot start suggested that some natural growth might’ve pushed them forward, only for it to all come crashing down.