The Chicago Bulls will head into the 2023/24 NBA season with one primary aim – securing a place in the Eastern Conference play-offs.
The Bulls have progressed to the post-season just once in the past six years, but got no further than the first round after losing 4-1 against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021/22.
Realistically speaking, even if the Bulls improve on last season’s performances, they are not going to challenge the top teams in their Conference.
The Boston Celtics, Milwaukee and Philadelphia 76ers filled the top three spots last season and are fancied to repeat the trick this time around. By contrast, the early ante-post odds to win the Eastern Conference next term paint a fairly bleak picture for Bulls fans.
According to BettingTop10.com, a comparison platform for sports betting apps, the Bulls are priced at odds of 66/1 to claim top spot.
While the oddsmakers are effectively predicting another disappointing year for the Bulls, there are reasons to believe they can force their way into the play-offs.
Cleveland Cavaliers finished fourth last season with a 51-31 record, while New York Knicks (47-35) and Brooklyn Nets (45-37) rounded off the top six. Winning 44-46 games during the regular season is generally enough to secure a top six spot in the Eastern Conference, which gives the Bulls a target to aim at next term.
They ended last season with a 40-42 record, so will need to find a way to win another five or six matches to progress to the NBA play-offs.
Of their 42 defeats last season, 11 of them were by a four-point margin or less – turning enough of those losses into wins puts them in the play-offs.
The Bulls’ off-season moves have done little to suggest there will be a drastic change in their fortunes next term, but a handful of extra victories are undoubtedly achievable. The club have retained the bulk of their squad, which has attracted criticism from fans who wanted to see more drastic moves made.
However, the acquisitions of Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig could prove to be the shrewd moves that fire the Bulls into the play-offs. Carter was excellent for the Bucks last season, while Craig brings additional toughness to a roster that clearly needs a new spark.
With narrow margins keeping the Bulls out of the play-offs last season, team management appear keen to give the current crop of players the chance to prove themselves. The top three spots in the Conference will likely be boxed off by the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers, but there is little to choose between the next batch of teams.
If Carter and Craig can spark just a little improvement, winning those extra five or six games needed to reach the play-offs is certainly achievable.
It is hugely debatable whether that would be enough to satisfy a fanbase starved of success during the 21st century, but at least it would be a small step in the right direction.
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