If the Chicago Bulls believe they’re better than projected next season, they’ll have a chance to prove it out of the gate.
Look at the team’s 2024-25 schedule — which was unveiled Thursday with the Bulls opening at the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 23 — and one might wonder where the wins will come from.
A revamped young squad mixed with a few veteran anchors isn’t expected to be in the playoff hunt. But for the third straight season, the Bulls appear to be positioned to possibly crash the postseason party by way of the Play-in Tournament.
On most nights, they’ll likely be underdogs, which might become one of the biggest reasons Bulls fans embrace this year’s squad. It isn’t the most talented group on paper. The departure of DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento didn’t help the roster. Yet the Bulls have assembled an intriguing core lined with players in their early 20s. Several of them — from Coby White and Josh Giddey to Patrick Williams and Jalen Smith — could be on the cusp of a breakout campaign.
Of course, there’s more in play for the Bulls than merely another attempt at a competitive season. In what is said to be a stellar draft class, the Bulls’ 2025 first-round selection must convey to the San Antonio Spurs if it falls out of the top 10. Naturally, the pro-tanking crowd that covets a shot at a potential franchise-changer like Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg wouldn’t mind the Bulls losing early and often.
They might get their wish.
As currently constructed, this is a Bulls team built for shootouts. Seeing any shutdown defense will be a surprise. Barring additional moves, that deficiency alone can leave the Bulls in store for a lot of long, losing winter nights.
On paper, after sifting through their six-month slate, the Bulls look like a 30-win team. But this roster and this season still should supply Bulls fans a lot to cheer for.
Here are some takeaways from the Bulls’ schedule:
A break in back-to-backs
The Bulls got lucky with their back-to-back sets. The league average is 14.9 back-to-backs. They’ll play 13, which is tied with five other teams — the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers — for the fewest in the NBA. But the Bulls drew brutal pairings, and the spacing of their back-to-backs doesn’t help.
Chicago will play six back-to-backs before the second week of December. The Bulls are scheduled for four more back-to-backs from March 12 through the end of the regular season, which is April 13 at the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls’ first two back-to-backs are reflective of the challenge: The first takes place Oct. 25 and 26 at the Milwaukee Bucks and then at home versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bulls then play at Dallas followed by a home date with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 6 and 7.
Prepare for a punishing start
The first 13 games on the Bulls’ schedule don’t offer much relief. Nine of those contests are against teams that made the playoffs last season. The Bulls will conclude the stretch by playing Central Division rival Cleveland twice in five days. Chicago also will play the Pelicans, the Bucks, the Thunder, the Magic, the Mavericks, the Timberwolves and the New York Knicks in that span.
Consecutive contests at the Brooklyn Nets and at home against the Utah Jazz to open the November schedule appear to be two critical opportunities for the Bulls to get on the winning side.
The Bulls are hoping Coby White has a breakout 2024-25 season. (David Banks / USA Today)
Temporary relief comes in January
By the time the calendar flips to 2025, the Bulls will have played 40 percent of their schedule. That seems to be a good time for a little relief.
Seven out of Chicago’s first nine games in January are at home. The month starts with a road game at the Washington Wizards. The Bulls then will play seven of eight at home. The lone road date during that window is a game against the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 8. After that, the Bulls have a season-long, five-game home stand against the Wizards, the Sacramento Kings, the Pelicans, the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets.
The Pelicans and Hawks games are a back-to-back set. But this is a good time for the Bulls to build a rhythm.
March is the toughest month
From the strength of their opponents — Indiana twice, Cleveland, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, the Lakers twice, Denver, Dallas and Oklahoma City — to the month’s structure, the Bulls’ schedule in March is madness.
For a young team that figures to be within Play-in Tournament range by this point of the season, this shapes up to be a fascinating case study for what these Bulls are made of.
A season-long, six-game road trip highlights the difficulty within the month. It’s a six-city swing over 10 days. In order, it goes Houston, Utah, Phoenix, Sacramento, the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver. The Bulls get the Suns and Kings in a back-to-back set. When that’s over, the Bulls get to close the month against the Lakers, the Mavericks and the Thunder.
But don’t sleep on the start of the month. It’s rough in its own right. Before that six-game trip, the Bulls will have played seven consecutive contests in different cities. It’s a choppy home-away pattern for each — also known as one-offs, which veteran players and coaches consider to be worse than long road trips.
Familiar faces return
The start of the season might feel strange. Former Bulls players will be back with their current teams in each of Chicago’s first three home games. Alex Caruso returns with the Thunder in the home opener on Oct. 26. Wendell Carter Jr. and the Magic visit on Oct. 30. And Lauri Markkanen and the Jazz come to Chicago on Nov. 4. Additionally, former Bulls center Andre Drummond, now with the 76ers, returns on Dec. 8 and Jan. 25.
But a Sunday matinee against the Kings on Jan. 12 is a date Bulls fans won’t want to miss. It will be DeRozan’s first game against the Bulls since agreeing to a sign-and-trade that sent him to Sacramento this summer.
If the Kings need a game-winner, you already know who they’re drawing up the last shot for.
(Top photo of Ayo Dosunmu: Matt Krohn / USA Today)
