Chicago Bulls’ on-court struggles point to bigger structural issues

The Chicago Bulls went from being one of the NBA’s most promising up-and-coming teams to one of its biggest disappointments in just a fraction of the 2025-26 season. After an impressive 5-0 start, they have now fallen below .500. While injuries, coaching, and effort have played roles, much of the responsibility falls on Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas.

Billy Donovan and the Bulls find themselves in this position largely because the roster is built around effort and belief rather than the personnel and analytical approach needed to support a true defensive identity. Even more troubling is how little progress their top prospects, Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, have shown. Their slow development reflects a broader pattern, as this is not the first time Chicago’s front office has struggled to bring young talent along.

Chicago has spent recent drafts chasing raw athletic upside instead of proven basketball ability, and that approach continues to show its flaws. Patrick Williams, Julian Philips, Dalen Terry, and Noa Essengue all fit that mold, yet none have developed into consistent contributors.

The Bulls development dilemma 

If Bulls executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas were intentionally trying to look this unprepared, he would struggle to script anything worse. With first-round pick Noa Essengue now sidelined for the year after shoulder surgery and Derik Queen putting up a 33-point triple-double for the Pelicans, Chicago’s recent draft approach has started to feel less like a long-term plan and more like an ongoing punchline.

Yes, the front office has seen people come and go, but the same problems keep surfacing. Chicago continues to invest in long-term projects they never fully develop. These players seem set up to struggle from the beginning.

Patrick Williams is already on his second NBA contract and still has not become a steady contributor. Dalen Terry enters his fourth year looking almost identical to the player he was as a rookie. Noa Essengue may need a fresh start elsewhere if he wants to avoid the developmental stall that has defined the paths of Williams and Terry.

There is no reasonable justification for why Nikola Vucevic, an aging center in the final year of his deal, is used more than Matas Buzelis, the player the Bulls have marketed as the future of the franchise

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