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The Chicago Bulls had one of the strangest seasons in recent franchise history in 2018-19. John Paxson and Gar Forman had heralded Fred Hoiberg as a revolutionary offensive coach when he came to Chicago in 2015. After three years and a 110-136 record as head coach, it seemed Hoiberg would finally get a chance to make strides with Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen.
But Hoiberg was met with some early adversity. Markkanen began the season on the shelf, and injuries to starting point guard Kris Dunn and power forward Bobby Portis Jr. quickly followed.
After a 5-19 start to the season, Hoiberg was fired. In his place, the Bulls named assistant Jim Boylen as the interim head coach.
Bulls players considered a mutiny because of Boylen's affinity for scheduling practices after back-to-backs. Boylen questioned the desire of his young players, and the Bulls suffered a 56-point defeat to the Boston Celtics in December.
However, Chicago improved in the last few months of the season. Markkanen worked his way back from injury, and the acquisition of Otto Porter Jr. in February seemed to help.
The Bulls have the No. 7 pick and some cap space.
Here are three keys to a perfect offseason for the Chicago Bulls:
1. Do not reach for a PG in the draft
Paxson has made no bones about the fact that the team is looking for a new starting point guard to supplant Dunn. The Bulls had acquired Dunn in the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Dunn has shown very little progression since arriving in Chicago.
This has created a lot of speculation that the Bulls would select a point guard in the draft. Unfortunately, the point guard position is extremely weak in this draft class.
Coby White looks like a potential scorer and playmaker capable of shooting from the perimeter, and he has good size and tremendous speed. But he is also very ball-dominant and mostly considered to be “shoot first,” which is hardly ideal considering the Bulls need to get LaVine and Markkanen plenty of touches.
Darius Garland has an excellent handle and might be one of the best shooting guards in the draft in terms of shot creation and pure shooting, but he played just five games at Vanderbilt last season. Garland may be gone before the Bulls are on the clock, anyway.
Given that the Bulls have some cap space, they should explore the free agent market for a point guard (which is quite saturated). If most of the mock drafts are accurate, De'Andre Hunter would probably be the best fit in Chicago given his defensive versatility and ability to shoot the three.
2. Find a distributor in free agency
The Bulls have scorers. Both LaVine and Markkanen can fill it up, and Otto Porter averaged 17.5 points in 15 games with Chicago. But they need some distributors; they ranked just 27th in assists per game.
This makes the team's possible pursuit of Terry Rozier seem trivial. Sure, Rozier can guard his position, and he played well during Boston's run to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2018 playoffs. He also shoots below 40 percent from the field.
Chicago would be better off singing Patrick Beverley or Darren Collison, who have no problem being deferential. Beverley is a great defender and rebounder, while Collison is a very underrated offensive playmaker.
The Bulls are unlikely to make another play for Lonzo Ball despite previously showing interest; he figures to be a centerpiece for the Pelicans. While the Bulls would like to make a big splash by signing Kemba Walker or D'Angelo Russell, they also need to build depth.
The Bulls need to find a distributor and playmaker for LaVine and Markkanen.
3. Health
Yes, health needs to be a priority. The Bulls really started to jell under Boylen's leadership at the end of the season, but LaVine was also feeling the rigors of a full NBA season. Markkanen missed 30 games. Wendell Carter Jr. missed 38 games.
The Bulls need all of their young players to be fully healthy in order to establish consistent growth. One big injury can derail progress. Recall Derrick Rose.
There is a real feeling that the Bulls could be a playoff contender with the right moves and general health throughout the season next year. That all starts with health and conditioning in the offseason.
