Chicago Bulls have lottery talent and playoff hopes in 2019-20

Storyline 3: Are the playoffs a realistic goal for the Chicago Bulls?

This is the fun, fresh time of the NBA calendar where optimism is high and hope is strong. In the voice of Kevin Garnett, anything is possible. But really, not anything, right?

The Chicago Bulls might be serious about making a playoff push this season. It’s not simply that they have to increase their win total by potentially as many as 20 wins. They’ll have to hope for regression from teams like the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons while hoping the Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young aren’t quite ready for a playoff push themselves.

Is anything possible in the Eastern Conference? Sure. The reality, though, is that the road to the playoffs is narrower for the Bulls than some might want to admit. After all, there won’t, or shouldn’t be, much change from last season’s playoff teams. Then there are teams like the Miami Heat who are looking to get back to playoff basketball.

The Bulls have a talented roster, without question. The addition of Otto Porter Jr. last season exemplified that, as the team played their best basketball after his acquisition. With Tomas Satoransky and Thad Young added to the squad, Chicago should surprise some people this year.

Whether the Bulls can actually make the playoffs though, that’s a difficult task. If the team can stay healthy and the players buy into whatever hype Jim Boylen is selling, they’ll be competitive in a surprisingly gritty conference. Contending for a playoff spot is the next step in this team’s maturity growth.

Optimism runs high this time of year, but one thing is for sure, the race to tank for top lottery spots should finally be over.