New champion among 10 bold predictions for 2019-20 NBA season
10. Bulls will be in the hunt for a playoff spot
The 2018-19 season was not an easy one to watch for Chicago Bulls fans. Not only did Chicago finish with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, they also clinched the worst home record (9-32) in franchise history as well as the fifth-worst overall record in team history as well.
After winning just five of their first 24 games, the Bulls parted ways with Fred Hoiberg and replaced him with Jim Boylen. During his first week as the new head coach, the Bulls were trounced by the Boston Celtics to the tune of 133-77 during a game in which Boylen sat his starters not once, but twice.
After promising that a grueling practice was on the horizon, reports surfaced about players wanting to boycott the practice as they weren’t fans of his old-school tactics.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed when it was all said and done.
Per multiple sources, players started a group text exchange debating whether to show up at practice facility today. They ultimately decided to show up and told coaching staff they wanted players only meeting, which was followed by the meeting with coaches.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 9, 2018
To make matters worse, the Bulls finished near the bottom of the league in offensive efficiency (29th) and defensive efficiency (25th). These factors, combined with several key players missing a total of 290 games, made for a very difficult season to endure.
Fast forward to the present, and the story is a bit more positive. For starters, the Bulls drafted a couple of solid rookies — Coby White and Daniel Gafford — both of which had some memorable moments during the Summer League.
Along with that, they added Thaddeus Young to give them frontcourt depth off the bench and Tomas Satoransky — who gives them another viable option at the point guard spot.
Being that the Bulls have amassed just 49 wins over the past two seasons, it would be beyond bold to declare them as a surefire playoff contender on 2019-20.
However, if they can stay relatively healthy, have their younger players take the next step and ramp up their intensity at the defensive end of the floor, the Bulls have an outside shot of competing for one of the lower playoff seeds in the East.