Chicago Bulls: Ranking the 5 projected starters for 2021-22

Following a 31-41 season that left fans encouraged and disappointed in equal measure, the Chicago Bulls spent this offseason attempting to turn this roster into a playoff-caliber group. Going by the moves the team made, it looks like team executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley accomplished just that.

After acquiring Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans and DeMar DeRozan from the San Antonio Spurs via sign-and-trade and using the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception to bring in Alex Caruso, the Bulls finally have a team around star wing Zach LaVine that is good enough to reach the postseason.

Even in an improved Eastern Conference, expectations in Chicago are the highest they’ve been since the Tom Thibodeau era, and with the names the team has signed, it’s not hard to see why.

Fans expect good things from this Chicago Bulls team, so let’s evaluate the projected starters by ranking them from worst to best.

Of course, how this season goes for the Bulls will depend on how the new pieces mesh with the incumbents. The team will have training camp and the preseason to iron out whatever wrinkles present themselves, but it could take a little while, especially when we don’t even know what the starting lineup will look like.

However, that uncertainty won’t keep us from ranking the primary quintet, particularly since we can all guess who will make up the first unit.