The Chicago Bulls head into the 2025-26 season with a clear focus according to Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, "Building while competing is the goal, every decision tied to that."
Karnisovas touched on his overall expectations for this year's squad, specifically stating some key areas he felt the team needed to shore up defensively, "defensive emphasis will be on creating turnovers, taking charges, fighting through screens, picking up full-court, trapping, playing zone, protecting the rim, etc."
When hearing Karnisovas speak about where he expects the team to improve defensively, you start to better understand why Isaac Okoro was a priority addition for the club this offseason. Okoro certainly brings a defensive edge to a team that needs it, and is preaching trying to build a winning culture without "skipping steps."
"Going back a year ago when we, you know, got into this transition, and we, you know, starting our second year, I think we were messaging the fanbase that this is the way we have to do it. We have to be patient, we have to be, do it the right way, and we can't skip steps. So I think for this team, you know, for next year, we got to show growth, we've got to get better every year."
Chicago finished the 2024-25 season tied for 18th in Defensive Rating (114.8), and 20th in Offensive Rating (113.2). Those marks were still better than what many critics expected, but obviously leave a ton of room for improvement. Karnisovas mentioned several times how the Bulls struggled to create turnovers on defense and how he wanted that to change, along with how he wanted to see more of the same on offense.
"We were one of the last teams in terms of creating turnovers, so defensive focus, continuing obviously offensively to do the same things that we've done the last year, but with a focus on, you know, getting better defensively."
He did not shy away from discussing the Play-In loss to the Miami Heat, stating that the team struggled to deal with the physicality of the matchup. "We saw what happened in the Play-In game, and the level of physicality went up and we couldn't handle it, so those very specific things we're going to have to do this year going into the season."
Overall, Karnisovas' sentiments today should remind Bulls fans of Bill Murray's 'Groundhog Day,' as it felt a bit like reliving the 2024-25 Bulls Media Day. But that was to be expected as "patience" has continued to be the keyword for the franchise over these past two seasons specifically. But for those Bulls fans thirsting for playoff basketball, it could be right around the corner in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
The Bulls may not have an All-Star caliber player on the roster as of now, but they certainly have a lot of youth and a group that is over 10 players deep in terms of legitimate, NBA-quality, rotation players.
With Donovan leading the charge, the 2025-26 Bulls could be a classic example of "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," and Karnisovas sounds confident in his vision, as he said during Media Day. "This group is pretty young and there is a lot of potential there," Karnisovas stated. Training camp and the start of the NBA preseason will be our first glimpse into the true potential of Karnisovas' group and if they can take the next steps towards becoming a winning franchise.
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