4 Teams the Raptors need to pass in the standings to reach the Playoffs
No. 2: Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls have permanently moved into the bottom bracket of the Play-In Tournament, assembling IKEA furniture and unpacking boxes and putting their artwork on the walls. They have finished in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings two years in a row, and most projections have them landing in the same range again this year.
The Bulls could join the ranks of the "tanking" teams and try to position themselves for a top draft selection. It would certainly benefit their nonexistent core of young players. After trading for Josh Giddey, they currently have...one good young player on his rookie contract, and that is Giddey -- and the Oklahoma City Thunder just gave up on him. Otherwise, they have veterans with massive flaws and oldish young players who likely aren't starters on a good team.
In fact, they present something of a parallel to the Toronto Raptors in that way. Scottie Barnes and Josh Giddey went 4th and 6th in the 2021 NBA Draft, and are ball-handlers with size. Barnes is clearly the better player at this point in their careers, and almost certainly moving forward.
Of their young players on their second contracts, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley appear to be well ahead of Patrick Williams and Coby White. Veteran centers? Toronto's Jakob Poeltl finishes ahead of Nikola Vucevic. Their 2024 draft picks skew in the Bulls' favor, but neither Matas Buzelis or Ja'Kobe Walter will figure much this season. Gradey Dick might, and he is light years ahead of Dalen Terry in terms of expected impact.
When the two teams are compared side-by-side, it really comes down to what sort of an impact Zach LaVine will have this season for the Bulls. Can the injury-prone but electric guard make up for a talent deficiency across the board? The Bulls need to be bad this season, but their history suggests they will instead scrap and claw for every win possible. That may mean another trip to the Play-In Tournament, but it's very possible that the Raptors pass them in the process.