Welcome to the 2024-25 Chicago Bulls season!
This year is an intriguing one. On one hand, the Bulls have finally taken the “rebuild” path we’ve been hoping they would for the past few seasons. Even though they haven’t totally jumped in with two feet, the season feels like it will be dedicated to trying to play faster, putting up more threes, and developing younger players.
On the other hand, there are still some veterans on the roster who have some things they need to prove – either to show that they can be a part of the future or that they can increase their trade value. With Game 1 of 82 just about here, let’s talk about the Bulls with the most to improve in the upcoming campaign.
Patrick Williams
As far as I’m concerned, nobody has more weight on their shoulders than Patrick Williams. The Chicago Bulls decided to hand the former No. 4 overall pick a five-year, $90.0 million raise this offseason. The decision came despite Williams averaging a nearly identical 10/4 over the first four seasons of his career. He also spent two of those seasons appearing in 43 or fewer games due to injury. The first was a wrist dislocation that happened in Year 2 on a fluke collision with Mitchell Robinson. The second came this past year when Williams suffered a foot injury that required season-ending surgery.
Some might point toward these two seasons as a reason for Williams’ stunted development. And those people are not entirely wrong for doing so. However, Williams has still shown minimal growth over his 213 games in the league, especially on the offensive end. Despite standing six-foot-eight with a muscular build and elite athletic traits, Williams struggles to attack off the dribble and finish at the rim. The lack of aggressiveness has also shown up in the rebounding department, where he should be a far more frequent force.
If Williams wants to justify the Bulls’ long-term investment, he must begin to eliminate the timidness and scoring inefficiencies. And there is no more perfect opportunity to do that than this season. Not only should the financial security give him confidence, but the Bulls have moved on from DeMar DeRozan and opened up plenty of shot attempts. The leash is as long as it can get for Williams this season, and he now has to decide how far he wants to run.
If Williams fails to take a step forward this season with so much runway, the critics are only going to grow louder.
Zach LaVine
Zach LaVine appeared in only 25 games last season due to a foot injury, which marked his fewest since coming off an ACL tear in 2017-18. His 19.5 points and 3.9 assists per game were also his lowest averages since that same season. Add in the off-court drama and another knee procedure, and LaVine’s stock has never been lower.
Now is the time for LaVine to change the narrative. Not only has he built up an injury-prone reputation, but he’s also trying to shake the “good stats, bad team narrative.” While the latter might be hard to do this season on a rebuilding Bulls team, LaVine can at least begin to clean up things like his late-game decision-making and defensive effort. Especially if the two-time All-Star wants to end up in a winning environment, showing he can buy into any role and serve as a veteran leader for a young group should only help strengthen his case.
Coby White
Coby White will want to prove that last season was not a fluke.
The former lottery pick finally started to reach his potential during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging career-highs across the board. His once one-dimensional game that relied heavily on transition speed and long-range shooting became far more unpredictable. White showed major ball-handling improvements that led to a lot more on-ball scoring creation for both him and his teammates.
Likewise, we saw a noticeable boost in his defensive tenacity and hustle. White may never be a lockdown defender, but he has the positional size and quickness to help disrupt an opponent’s flow on that end of the floor. The 23-year-old finally seemed to realize that last season.
White will now have an opportunity to expand on last year’s breakout campaign. He’ll have to prove that he can continue to be a reliable scoring threat despite the return of another high-volume option like Zach LaVine. Additionally, Josh Giddey’s presence will provide White with an excellent opportunity to show even more of his off-ball and catch-and-shoot skills. The more versatile he can prove to be as a scorer, the faster he’ll continue to climb up the backcourt ranks.
Let’s also not forget that White will become extension-eligible next offseason. Currently signed to a three-year, $36.0 million deal, the guard is already far outperforming his contract. Taking another step forward this year could set him up for a significant payday down the road.
Dalen Terry
Dalen Terry heads to Year 3 averaging 9.2 minutes per contest over his 97 appearances. Not great!
A former first-round pick, the raw wing out of Arizona has failed to find his footing at the pro level. The 22-year-old is almost always moving at a million miles an hour. Whether it be careless fouls, a lack of ball control, or a shaky jumper, there have been too many reasons to keep Terry off the floor.
In Terry’s defense, he had previously been suiting up for a roster that had winning aspirations. The opportunity to play through his mistakes and get into a rhythm simply wasn’t there. But that’s not changed. If Terry wants to figure out where he fits in the NBA, now is the time.
Head coach Billy Donovan will be tinkering with lineups and looking for young players to make a statement. Terry should see more early-season minutes than ever before, and there will be an especially big opportunity to make his presence felt on the defensive end. Terry has the length and quickness to be a switchable plus defender. The Bulls will need someone to help wear down opposing wings and run shooters off the 3-point line. Terry could be perfect for just that.
Indeed, we saw Terry begin to show flashes of this at the end of last season, recording 10 steals and 10 blocks in his final 15 games. Particularly when we consider the Bulls’ plans to play a more uptempo, transition offense, Terry’s ability to force turnover could become valuable.
Honorable Mention: Jevon Carter
Things couldn’t have gone worse for Jevon Carter during his first season in Chicago. The veteran guard signed a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Bulls ahead of the 2023-24 season after a career year in Milwaukee. Many expected him to compete for significant minutes early on thanks to his efficient 3-point stroke and pesky on-ball defense.
While he would go on to appear in 71 games, Carter averaged only 13.1 minutes per game and started to stack DNPs late in the year. He shot a career-low 32.9 percent from behind the arc and looked nothing like his former self on defense. Still, considering what he was able to do in Milwaukee, it’s hard to give up fully on Carter. Both he and the Bulls would love it if he could look more comfortable this season and show shades of his former self. If he does, he could become a sneaky trade asset.
Finding the playing time for Carter will be hard, though. The Bulls have a jam-packed backcourt and a clear incentive to play their young guys. With that in mind, while I think Carter does have a lot to prove, he may not get the opportunity like some of the other names on this list.