From Five Straight Wins to Fifty-One Losses: Bulls Finish Another Season Searching for Direction

CHICAGO: The Chicago Bulls opened the season with five consecutive victories.

They finished it with 51 losses.

The contrast captures one of the most difficult aspects of the organization's 2025–26 campaign.

Chicago concluded the regular season at 31–51, finishing twelfth in the Eastern Conference and missing the postseason.

The club's early success had generated legitimate excitement.

By February, the front office was moving established contributors and fundamentally changing the roster.

The season ended with more questions than answers.

The opening created expectations

Chicago began with victories over Detroit and Orlando before extending its winning streak to five.

A 135–125 win over New York gave the Bulls their strongest opening since 1996–97.

Josh Giddey was producing impressive all-around performances.

Matas Buzelis continued developing.

And the offense appeared capable of generating scoring through multiple contributors.

But a five-game sample cannot establish long-term competitiveness.

Defense became the central problem

Chicago finished the season allowing 121.5 points per game.

That figure ranked near the bottom of the NBA.

The Bulls scored 116.3 per contest, but their defensive problems regularly forced the offense to carry an extraordinary burden.

Even strong scoring performances could end in defeat.

A roster cannot reliably compete for postseason positioning when it repeatedly allows opponents to produce at that level.

The deadline changes everything

Chicago traded Vučević, White and Dosunmu.

The moves signaled that the organization was no longer attempting to preserve the existing structure.

The Bulls acquired younger players, new guards and additional draft assets.

But changing a roster during the season creates immediate challenges.

The coaching staff must establish new combinations.

Players must learn responsibilities.

And defensive communication can suffer when familiar lineups disappear.

Chicago experienced a difficult stretch after the trades.

What comes next?

The Bulls must determine which players can become part of a sustainable competitive foundation.

Giddey's role remains important.

Buzelis continues offering developmental upside.

The organization also must evaluate the incoming players and future draft assets acquired during February.

But the central challenge is establishing a clearer identity.

Chicago cannot continue moving between short-term competitiveness and long-term rebuilding without producing meaningful progress.

The 31–51 record reflects the need for a more consistent direction.

The season began with excitement.

It ended with the Bulls again outside the postseason.