Chicago Bulls: 3 remedies to return to playoff contention

The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a rebuilding project. The work continues in Chicago, but how soon can the Bulls return to playoff contention?

At the end of a 22-60 regular season, NBA teams aren’t likely to find just one remedy that will catapult their franchise back to respectability, let alone playoff contention or more. For the Chicago Bulls, coming off a 60-loss season, their search for the right mix of talent and experience has bled into another summer of discontent.

Rebuilding projects, like the one currently underway in Chicago, take time. But what the organization and fans want to see equally is progress.

Instead, the team actually regressed in 2018-19, losing five more games than it did in 2017-18. For those counting, the Chicago Bulls have lost 115 of their last 164 games. Double-check the math if you must, but it’s really been that bad around the United Center the last couple of seasons.

Fans might be clamoring for a change from John Paxson and Gar Forman (GarPax) to … pretty much anyone. That’s not likely to happen anytime soon. So what is the answer? How long will this rebuild last?

The franchise isn’t without hope, as the roster features a nice core of young talent. Zach LaVine has become a legitimate scoring threat every time down the court, Lauri Markkanen projects to be a future All-Star and Wendell Carter Jr. looks like he’ll anchor the defense for years to come.

Here are three areas the Bulls should focus on to get back to playoff contention.