Stuck in a perpetual rebuild, the Chicago Bulls were one of the pleasant surprises of the 2021-22 season as their new core of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball put them among the top four in the East for much of the season. The team regressed towards the end of the season, but they made the playoffs before bowing out in five games to Milwaukee in the first round.
Their lack of scoring depth was exposed as LaVine was slowed by a knee injury and Ball couldn’t stay in the lineup down the stretch.
Newly signed Goran Dragic may be called upon to play a lot, especially in the early going as Ball slowly ramps back up to speed. They’ll be hoping the knee issues are also a thing of the past for LaVine.
Alex Caruso played great in his first year with the Bulls after being a glue guy for the Lakers, but injuries eventually caught up to him as well down the stretch.
The addition of Andre Drummond to back up Nikola Vucevic should be a strong addition at center and Patrick Williams is already a force at power forward at 21 years of age. But in a quickly improving Eastern Conference, the question is did the Bulls do enough to keep pace, especially on offense?
Chicago Bulls Season Outlook:
Projected Starting Lineup: PG Lonzo Ball, SG Zach LaVine, SF DeMar DeRozan, PF Patrick Williams, C Nikola Vucevic
Head coach: Billy Donovan
Notable Additions: G Goran Dragic, C Andre Drummond
Draft Picks: G Dalen Terry (18th overall)
Bulls Arena: United Center
Bulls NBA Schedule: NBA.com
2022-23 Chicago Bulls NBA Futures Odds
- Odds to win the 2023 NBA Championship: 60/1
- Odds to win the 2022-23 Eastern Conference: 35/1
- Odds to win the 2022-23 Central Division: +550
- 2022-23 Regular Season Win Total: Under 44½ (-120)
- Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes -250 | No +185
- Official website: nba.com/bulls
- Twitter Account : @chicagobulls
2022-23 Chicago Bulls NBA Award Top Contenders
6th Man OTY: Alex Caruso +5000, Coby White +5000
Liev Jackson NBA Season Prediction on Bulls:
The Bulls came together as a coherent unit last year and LaVine is showing in the second half of his 20s that good teams can build around him and they will be competitive. At the same time, the East is going to be a game of musical chairs with one or two good ones on the outside looking in come playoff time. I think the Bulls are more likely than not to be one of those teams this season with injuries again playing a role, whether it be to 33 year-old DeRozan, 36 year-old Dragic or it taking a long time for Ball to get back to game shape. So I love the positive odds on them to miss the playoffs.
Favorite bets for the season at current odds include:
- 2022-23 Regular Season Win Total: Under 44½ (-120)
- Odds to Make the Playoffs: No +185
2021-22 Record: 46-36
My Record Prediction: 41-41
NBA Odds According to Bovada as of September, 2022
Bet on the Chicago Bulls 2022-23 Season at Bovada Sportsbook.
