Chicago Bulls With Plenty To Prove In 2022-23 Based On Vegas Win Totals

The Chicago Bulls took the NBA world by storm to start the 2021-22 season, holding the top spot in the Eastern Conference for quite some time and even sitting at 39-21 nearly three-quarters of the way through the regular season. The Bulls stumbled to the finish line, though, trudging to a 46-36 record before getting smoked by the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

Even so, getting to 46 wins was a major step up for Chicago after posting the worst cumulative record in the NBA in the four seasons following the Jimmy Butler trade. The Bulls dealt with a number of key health problems last season as well, so getting to that 46-win mark was still a success after adding DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso last offseason.

The challenge now is taking the next step. Chicago has had a rather quiet offseason in terms of additions, bringing in rookie Dalen Terry via the draft plus veterans Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic in free agency. The Bulls’ roster seems pretty set, so right now they’re relying on continuity, internal development and better health to take another leap in 2022-23.

Will they be able to do it?

The early projections from Las Vegas seem skeptical. PointsBet has the Bulls’ regular-season win total at 42.5 right now, which is up from the 41.5 it was initially at. DraftKings is a bit more bullish at 43.5 wins, but that’s still just eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago failing to match last season’s win total and being a play-in tournament team would undoubtedly be a disappointment, but the skepticism is fair. The offseason additions aren’t all that inspiring amid other contenders making splashier moves. There are still concerns about rim protection and 3-point shooting. Ball’s nagging knee injury hangs over the Bulls like a dark cloud, and if he misses a lot of time that will have an impact on the win total. There’s a lot of pressure on third-year forward Patrick Williams to take a major leap forward. Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White (assuming he’s not traded) aren’t as important as Williams but must make notable improvements as well.

It’s also fair to wonder if DeRozan can match his ridiculous clutch performance of last season. The soon-to-be 33-year-old All-Star just had arguably the best season of his career and was the NBA’s best clutch player, including two absurd game-winning 3-pointers. Even a small regression for DeRozan in the clutch could hurt Chicago.

However, there are reasons for optimism. LaVine should be back to full health after dealing with multiple injuries last season, and he’ll be out to prove he’s worth his $212 million max deal. It’s nearly impossible for Williams to not take some kind of step forward after he played so little in 2021-22 because of a broken wrist. Dosunmu is reportedly having a “monster offseason.” Caruso is working to better handle the rigors of increased minutes. Nikola Vucevic will hopefully shoot better than 31.4% from 3-point range after his major dip last season.

When they had their best players, the Bulls were a very good team last season. Their preferred closing lineup of Ball, LaVine, Caruso, DeRozan and Vucevic outscored opponents by 34 points in just 95 minutes. Having Williams available and effective should only make Chicago more versatile in clutch situations.

But, again, health is such a major question mark at the moment in large part because of Ball. There’s still about two months before training camp opens, so there’s time for him to get healthy. The recovery has taken so long already, though, that concern is warranted. Plus, he has had trouble staying health throughout his career.

If the Bulls get better health luck in 2022-23, they should go over these current Vegas win totals. But just how much better is up for debate, and it’s not hard to envision a scenario where they go under. Either way, Chicago has plenty to prove as it tries to become a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.