Chicago Bulls: 5 reasons to be excited for 2019-20 NBA season

1. Finally chasing a playoff berth, instead of lottery fool gold

Don’t get me wrong, the NBA lottery has worked out well for the Chicago Bulls the last few years. First with Lauri Markkanen, then Wendell Carter Jr., and now Coby White, all selected seventh overall in consecutive drafts.

The draft has done the Chicago Bulls well, indeed.

But as they say, that’s in the past. It’s time for this team to take the next step. It’s time for the young talent on the roster to play like stars, worthy of their lottery selections and capable of leading their teams into the playoffs, and eventually more.

Can Jim Boylen be the guy to lead them there? That’s a discussion for a different day, but it’s a relevant question nonetheless. GarPax seems to think so, giving him the head coaching title minus the interim after replacing Fred Hoiberg 24 games into last season.

They then gave him an extension after the season, in which he went 17-41. Essentially, he better be the guy, at least this season.

Will Markkanen blossom into an All-Star in this, his third season? If he does, the Chicago Bulls are in great shape in the Eastern Conference.

Will new point guards and veteran bench leadership get the Bulls to the promised land (which I suppose the eighth seed is)? To be fair to the talent on this squad, it really should at least put them in the race.

Overall, the most exciting aspect of the 2019-20 Chicago Bulls will be whether this team can finally gel, avoid locker room mutinies and reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

They might just put it all together.