Bulls' 5-0 start isn't nothing; just ask the last two NBA champions
The Bulls have recent history on their side.
The defending NBA champion Thunder had an impressive start to their run last season, coming out of the gate 7-0. The season before, the eventual champion Celtics started 5-0.
So should the NBA just mail the 2025-26 Larry O’Brien Trophy to the United Center? Pump the brakes.
What the Bulls have done in winning their first five games isn’t a mirage. There are some sustainable elements on both sides of the ball. That starts with the run-and-gun offensive philosophy that head coach Billy Donovan embraced before last season and that his players executed well.
That’s why the Bulls finished second in the league in pace last season (102.83 possessions per 48 minutes) and are close to equaling that through the early part of this season (102).
The goal? They want their opponents to have their hands on their knees by the fourth quarter, gasping for air.
‘‘It wears you out throughout the game,’’ Bulls forward Isaac Okoro said recently. ‘‘I remember when I was in Cleveland last year and we were playing here, it was like, ‘The Bulls are going to play fast. Just try and slow them down in transition.’ But that pace really gets to you. It gets you fatigued by the fourth quarter, then you lose your legs [and] your shot starts coming up short.
‘‘Being here now, playing with that pace and seeing teams fold by the fourth quarter, you see the legs go. You see the hands start going on the knees, and that’s what you want to see. You want to see the opponent tired because that’s when you start killing them.’’
The Bulls are doing that pretty well, too. They have the second-best point differential in the East at plus-8.8 per game. The Heat are No. 1 in point differential (plus-11.4) in the conference, as well as No. 1 in pace (105.79).
But there is an underlying concern that can’t be ignored. That’s why it’s important to keep the foot near the brake pedal.
What’s real
Bench mob: The Bulls’ bench showed signs of strong play last season, averaging 36 points (14th in the league). So far this season, however, it has been lethal. Even with a subpar showing in the season opener against the Pistons, the Bulls’ bench is second in the NBA at 49 points per game. Take the game against the Pistons out, and it has averaged 52.5 points.
Now the kicker: The Bulls only are going to add more depth. Once guard Coby White (calf) and center Zach Collins (wrist) return, expect the bench to improve.
Giddey up: Just in case there were still any questions about which Josh Giddey the Bulls paid for in the summer (four-year, $100 million contract extension), it was the one who was dominant after the trade deadline last season.
All Giddey has done is average 22 points, 8.8 rebounds and eight assists in the first five games, all while shooting 45.5% from three-point range. In his final 19 games last season, he averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists and shot 45.7% from three.
In his first 51 games with the Bulls, Giddey averaged 12.2 points, shot 34.5% from three and was benched late in several games.
The defense doesn’t rest: The sample size is small, but the focus during the offseason and in training camp was on improving a defense that ranked 20th in the NBA in efficiency last season. The addition of Okoro seems to be paying off, with the Bulls sitting ninth after five games.
What’s still a concern
Star power: Depth and pace are great — in the regular season. And the Bulls might be able to ride them to hosting a first-round playoff series if things continue as they’re going. At some point, however, it comes down to slower play and physicality, especially in the playoffs.
There comes a point in a game where your star has to shine brighter than the other team’s star. Do the Bulls have that dude? Maybe it will be Matas Buzelis, Giddey or even a healthy White. But it’s not clear they have that player now.
Is there a trade out there to be made, especially with six players — including White — on expiring contracts? That’s a question executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas will explore. He had better.