The Chicago Bulls Have The Tools To Lead The League In Fastbreak PPG

The Chicago Bulls were one of the top transition offenses last season, finishing 7th in the league in fastbreak points per game at 17.4. Chicago's transition offense was effective because of the high-volume of opportunities, the speed of the players and the passing creativity of Josh Giddey. 

Former Bulls guards (and current Charlotte Hornets guard) Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu (now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves) were also major forces in the Bulls transition proficiency.

Per Basketball-Reference.com, Dosunmu and White both shot north of 63% at the rim (0-3 feet to be exact).

White and Dosunmu's combination of blazing speed and ability to finish at the basket paired well with Giddey's willingness to give up the ball early in transition. 

Per NBA.com, White led the Bulls in fastbreak PPG last season, followed by Dosunmu, Leonard Miller and Tre Jones. 

Giddey finished 7th on the Bulls in fastbreak PPG as he was more focused on facilitating, finishing third in the league with 9.1 assists per game (APG).

The possibility of Giddey leading the league in assists this season is very real, especially if they look to get out in transition often under new head coach Tiago Splitter. Whether or not Chicago looks to speed things up or slow down in terms of tempo, they are poised to be an exciting and potentially dominant transition offense. 

Although White and Dosummu are out, 1st round picks Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain come into the fray, as well as free agency addition Norman Powell. Center Nic Claxton was acquired via trade and also will add to their strength.

Claxton--who has declined a bit over the past several years--isn't a physically imposing rim-runner, but has enough length and athleticism to be a decent target for lobs in transition. Powell is an 

Matas Buzelis was the Bulls leader in dunks last season at 79, besting second-place (Leonard Miller) by a full 46 dunks. The 6-foot-10 Buzelis and No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson (also 6-foot-10) will provide Giddey with two of the more impressive athletes he's had a chance to run with. 

While Buzelis was racking up a team-leading 79 dunks in the NBA last season, Swain was getting to the rack (60.3% on 2-pt FGs, 5.6 FTAs per game) at Texas and Wilson was dunking every FGA he could get his hands on at North Carolina. 

Wilson had 66 dunks over 24 games during his time at North Carolina, an average of 2.75 dunks per game. 

With Wilson and Buzelis on the wings, and Giddey controlling the ball, the Bulls fastbreak is set up to be exciting and effective next season. Just how effective could depend heavily on if they can maintain their high defensive rebound rate. Over the 2025-26 season, the Bulls posted the 7th best defensive rebound rate in the league at 70.8%. Despite being a great fastbreak team, Chicago was lacking in the points off of turnovers category (28th). The defensive playmaking of Wilson, Claxton and the returning Buzelis should result in more blocked shots and opportunities for the Bulls to turn defense into valuable fastbreak opportunities. Their season may depend on it.