Chicago’s Matas Buzelis (left), Josh Giddey and Coby White have been powering the Bulls in the East.
When the Bulls traded Zach LaVine at the deadline in February to Sacramento, it didn’t mark a surrender—it sparked a new beginning. Rather than waving the white flag, Chicago found new life and has been charging ahead.
If you haven’t been paying attention and were told that since March 5, Chicago has gone 13-5—good for the sixth-best record in that timeframe, you probably wouldn’t believe it.
What if you were told they were averaging 122.1 PPG in that span, with only the Thunder ahead of them? Or that they were No. 4 in rebounds, assists, and field-goal percentage per game?
How about knowing that since March 5, they have had a player averaging 28.1 PPG, which is seventh in the league, and a player who is nearly averaging a triple-double with 20.6 PPG (39th), 10.7 RPG (11th), and 9.7 APG (3rd)?
If we were playing “guess that team,” you might think I was talking about the Lakers, with LeBron James and Luka Dončić, or the Denver Nuggets, with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić. You may even think I was talking about Kawhi Leonard and James Harden of the Clippers. No? Then it has to be the Celtics, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, right?
None of those would be correct, though.
Instead, it’s the Bulls and the backcourt duo of Coby White and Josh Giddey.
If you removed all bias and preconceived notions and looked at what Chicago has done since March 5, you’d believe they were NBA title contenders. At the very least, you would put them in the conversation and call them a dark horse in the East.
They’ve earned these wins against strong competition, too. For March and April, the Bulls had the 12th toughest schedule. Their current run contains wins over the Pacers, Nuggets, and twice over the Lakers. Of their five losses, three came against upper-echelon teams on the road: the Thunder, Cavaliers, and Rockets.
LaVine’s move not only allowed Giddey and White to emerge as stars in Chicago, but also helped Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, to play a larger role. Since the trade, Buzelis’ playing time has nearly doubled, and his production has exceeded that. Since March 5, the rookie has been averaging 13.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG while shooting 48.3% from the field, including 40.2% from 3-point range on 4.8 attempts. Those are numbers that would certainly have him in the conversation for Kia Rookie of the Year had he had the opportunity all season and rival those of top candidates Stephon Castle, Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher.
With two games left in their regular season, Chicago currently sits at No. 9 in the East and would need two Play-In victories to earn the No. 8 seed and a date with the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. However, surpassing the Hawks—where they would only need one win against Orlando to earn the No. 7 seed, is still within reach.
Ultimately, no matter what happens during the rest of their 2024-25 campaign, the Bulls’ late season run should signal that they’re a team on the rise and one to watch out for moving forward.
