TITLE: Bulls’ Fast Start Stalls, Raising Questions About Chicago’s New High-Speed Blueprint
SLUG: bulls-fast-start-fades-2025-26
CONTENT:
CHICAGO — One month after opening the 2025-26 campaign at 6-1, the Chicago Bulls are back under .500 and searching for answers about the uptempo identity they spent the past two seasons trying to build.
The plan to play faster
The shift began in August 2024, when head coach Billy Donovan flew a group of players to Miami for a player-run minicamp. Donovan replaced the standard 24-second clock with a 14-second timer during scrimmages, hoping to jolt a roster that had finished 28th in pace in 2023-24. The Bulls embraced the concept enough to climb to second in pace last season, but the record did not budge: 39-43 and a third consecutive play-in exit.
Chicago’s front office cleared space for the new style by sending DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento and shipping defensive anchor Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City for then-21-year-old guard Josh Giddey. The organization viewed the 6-foot-8 Australian as the engine of a more egalitarian attack.
Early return on the Giddey gamble
Giddey, who turned 23 in October, spent last summer in Melbourne working six days a week on three-point shooting, finishing and drawing contact. Through 19 games he is nearly averaging a triple-double—20.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 9.3 assists—while shooting a career-best 39.2% from deep and earning 6.0 free-throw attempts per night.
His pass-first approach has spread through the roster: eight Bulls average double-figure points, the club ranks fourth in assist percentage (68.5%) and its bench is second in scoring league-wide.
Hot start, cold reality
Chicago’s new look electrified the United Center during a 6-1 opening burst built on top-10 pace and a top-five assist rate. Internally, however, staffers cautioned that judgment should wait until the 20-game mark. Since that warning, the Bulls have dropped nine of 12 and sit 9-10—10th in the Eastern Conference.
During the slide, offensive and defensive ratings have both fallen to 23rd, and the team is surrendering 56.5 points in the paint per night, third-worst in the NBA. Recent losses include a 36-point home defeat to a shorthanded Miami squad and back-to-back setbacks against Charlotte and New Orleans, teams ranked near the bottom of their conferences.
Veteran frustration
After escaping Washington with a one-point win on Nov. 22, 35-year-old center Nikola Vučević called the Bulls “soft” on the court broadcast, warning that their style was “not sustainable.” Chicago allowed 143 points to the Pelicans two nights later and lost on Pascal Siakam’s jumper at Indiana on Nov. 30.
Looking to Indiana — and beyond
The Bulls openly study the Indiana Pacers, whose Finals run last season validated a high-octane model. Team sources believe Chicago still needs two upgrades to match that blueprint: steadier defense and a second star to pair with Giddey. “If he can become an All-Star, when do we pull the trigger to get our Siakam?” one staffer said.
Management holds all of its own first-round picks through 2032 plus Portland’s top-14-protected 2026 first. ESPN’s Bobby Marks projects the club could clear close to $70 million in cap space next summer. According to team sources, the front office has discussed Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis as a potential target for rim protection but will not sacrifice core youngsters Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis or rookie Noa Essengue unless the roster is closer to contention.
White, now in his sixth season with Chicago, summed up the long-term view: “Building a culture takes time. Building how you want to play takes time. Building an identity takes time.” For the Bulls, the clock that matters again is not the 14 seconds of a summer scrimmage, but the one ticking on a season teetering between promise and repetition.
Source: ESPN
