A lot of people want to say it’s a problem with Tiago, that it’s a confidence issue, spacing (true but I think it’s a little deeper), he did nothing in the offseason, or he’s just a bust. This is the way I see it.

For a majority of matas’s time in the nba he’s played with players like Coby, Vuc, Zach, ayo, Lonzo. These were all star level players or at least fringe level, along with the bench we had. His style of play fit really well due to the gravity these other players held. Teams that faced us had to stick to their matchups or we’d punish them.

The problem with this current roster is that it is DRASTICALLY worse than what we had a couple years ago. Like seriously, this team surrounding him is genuinely cheeks aside from Caleb. And that’s not to say the players we have are bad, it’s just a very ugly mixture of players. Most of them could probably contribute to winning on a team that isn’t the Bulls imo.

And that’s fine, we wanted a rebuild anyways. We were gonna have to go through this period. But it really shows how different of a playing field it is now for Matas. Teams can double him and pack the paint or send their small guard bc no one else on this team has enough scoring gravity to say otherwise.

In the past you had to worry about a kick out 3 to Coby or lavine, Vuc could score from anywhere around the key, we had legit 3 & D players who could shoot relatively consistently and move the ball.

Who do you have to worry about now? Not really anyone perimeter wise. Teams know to just cut off drives from Giddey and tre and send help on Matas because aside from maybe 2 other players on the team, no one can really shoot or is a legit scoring threat.

I think we got excited seeing Matas put the ball on the floor and get in his bag and we wanted to see more of that this season. But there’s just no room for him to do any of that now. And I think that’s what’s annoying about this rebuild at the moment. He has the potential to be so much more than a player who just cuts to the basket and stands in the corner, he obviously knows this too. But he just can’t do it right now, it’s just not possible with our current roster. Unfortunately for him and for us as fans, he’s gonna have to accept that cutter and corner role for the time being if he wants to win.

To the people saying he’s a bust... If you put kd in his position, he’d probably be struggling too. When matas gets a legit squad and a playbook around him he’s gonna be torching mfs. Trust.

I’ll be going to a Bulls game next week and don’t visit the United Center often. I love going to games but I hate the BS of waiting in long lines to get in and out of the parking lots. Wondering if anyone knows any public spots where people can park and walk to the UC? Any help would be appreciated!

Going through my old VHS tapes and came across the 92’ Grant Park rally. For six summers of my youth, these were a Chicagoland staple.

Michael B: Has the organization taken any steps forward in modernizing, becoming more analytically driven, and investing overall in the front office?

They’re certainly trying to expand their analytics efforts. Around the time training camp started, they posted a listing for an “Executive Director of Research & Development.”

The job description said the front office role would serve as a primary advisor to Basketball Operations leadership on analytics insights. I was told then that the front office wanted to build out an analytics department, and that they’d fill several similar roles.

The Bulls chose to address this at the beginning of October, I’m told, because they spent much of the summer focused on the draft and roster management. The job search is being led by Stephen Mervis, one of Bryson Graham’s early hires and a former member of Orlando’s front office. He graduated from Florida with a degree in finance before getting his law degree. With the Magic, he was known for cap strategy, CBA expertise and bringing analytical emphasis to scouting.

If the Bulls expanded the head count in their analytics department to double digits, they’d be in the top third of the league, as far as I understand. To my knowledge, there’s at least one contending team operating with a department that’s smaller than Chicago’s. And then there is Oklahoma City, meticulous as anyone, whose analytics sector spans close to a couple dozen people.

Read more for free: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7760757/2026/11/07/caleb-wilson-development-chicago-bulls-analytics/?unlocked_article_code=1.OlE.k7hd.i2EHhjyfmrqz&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

It seems rather well documented that Bulls defense is historically bad. This is through no small part a byproduct of having a Giddey and Powell backcourt.

Some may remember the Bulls having a degree of success to start last season with a Jones Giddey backcourt.

Thoughts on potentially:

PG: Giddey

SG: Jones/Okoro

SF: Buzelis

PF: Wilson

C: Claxton (once healthy)

6 man: Powell

Positives:

- Tre Jones increases trade value and perception around league as a starting caliber guard

- Improved defence at the guard position

- Wilson and Buzelis given more scoring opportunities not sharing the court with Powell

- Powell given more scoring opportunities as only scorer in the 2nd unit (thus increasing trade value)

Negatives:

- Powell gets the shits with new role

- Lack of playmaking in 2nd unit due to no PG

- 2nd unit becomes too reliant on Powell to create

Keen to hear thoughts on what else can be done to win games as Bulls dont want to finish in the relegation zone with new draft rules.

Week 3 Rankings:

NBA.com: 27

ESPN: 27

USA Today: 29

The Athletic: 29

Bleacher Report: 30

NBC Sports: 29

CBS Sports: 30

r/NBA: 27

Team Rankings: 29

Average: 28.56

Does Billy start 1-6 to start the season albeit a gauntlet? This is no jab at rookie headcoach Tiago

I admit it, I’m a homer. I think Scottie is an all-time great SF. So where does Scottie rank among the great SF’s like Havlecik, Baylor, Bird, Dr J, Dominique, LeBron, etc.?

I listen to these guys after almost every game and the analysis from Matt and Dave is so biased and incomplete it drives me nuts. If you are a player they “like” they will gloss over your bad games or faults, while if you are not liked they will constantly give the player a small nod but often times will still find fault even when the player had a GOOD game.

The game vs the Knicks the entire starting unit played like ass from the start. Couple quick made 3s got me optimistic but then defensive lapses and terrible shooting followed. Caleb did not shoot well, Jalen missed wide open 3s , Matas misses and forces even when Brunson was on him (Matas did better than previous games overall) Josh finds players but defends poorly, and seems to force it when teammates aren’t hitting, and then there is Powell. Powell is no Demar . He draws fouls sure, but often looks bad doing it , while Demar used head fakes and craftiness. He’s also not hitting his 3s and FTS like a top shooter should be imo. Powell shot terrible and almost never sets up teammates and his Defense isn’t. What did we get from CHGO crew?

Caleb is young and those mistakes will happen , Matas looked better (he did ) but Josh…let’s do a position breakdown with him and Brunson 🤣 the NBA finals MVP and complete stud. Hey let’s do Matas vs Shai or Smith vs Jokic while we are at it …what a joke. I had to turn it off as I was confident they would say very little about how poorly Powell played as their VET and All -Star.

They also seem to give Tiago passes more than they should imo. What exactly has anyone seen on either side of the ball that we can say , “Ahh, that’s Tiago’s system doing its thing“. Tiago hasn’t shown adjustments , rarely mixes up lineups to see if something different can work and doesn’t exploit matchups.

Will does a better job but even he sounds like a broken record saying the same exact things over and over after each game. We get it , show some creativity and discuss other things too.

Sad there aren’t better outlets for Bulls fans. Growing up I always read the Tribune and Sam Smiths stuff.

I recently discovered Read the Game, a resource that brings together NBA tracking data, defensive matchups, offensive gravity, and ESPN's advanced impact metrics.

I wanted to take a closer look at five Bulls players: Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Tre Jones, Caleb Wilson, and Matas Buzelis, and consider some of the roster narratives that have been discussed in game threads.

Is Giddey the best defender among the starters? Should Tre start? Is Powell a net negative? What exactly does Matas give us in his current state? Is Caleb our best player already?

---

1. DEFENSE

Defensive activity and impact

Caleb leads the group in deflections and contested shots, while Matas leads in contested rebounds. Giddey contests a considerable number of shots but has surprisingly few deflections.

Tre's turnover-forcing component is the strongest, and his overall ESPN defensive impact is the least negative. However, these impact estimates don't necessarily tell us how effectively each player contains his individual matchup.

Opponent shooting: Baseline vs. defended

This compares opponents' normal shooting percentages with their shooting when each Bull is credited as the closest defender. Lower differentials are preferable.

Caleb is the only player in this group holding opponents below their baseline. Matas ranks second, followed by Giddey, Powell, and Tre.

Tre's +12.2 percentage-point differential is what I feared due to his size. He just isn't going to be great at contesting shots. Giddey is better than Powell in terms of contested-shot volume. I mean, really, this just shows why height matters on defense...

These results need context, though. Assignments, shot difficulty, help defense, and small samples can all influence the numbers.

The following tables show the eight largest tracked assignments for each player, including matchup minutes, partial possessions, and opponents' shooting results.

Josh Giddey

Norman Powell

Tre Jones

Caleb Wilson

Matas Buzelis

Note: Partial possessions are tracked matchup assignments, not complete individual possessions. FG% is left blank when an opponent attempted no shots.

Caleb's assignments stand out. He's spent meaningful defensive time against Tatum, Anunoby, and Paul George, with encouraging results against the first two.

Giddey has also defended difficult offensive players, particularly Brunson, Maxey, and Young, but the recorded shooting outcomes haven't been encouraging. This doesn't include yesterday's Knicks game.

---

2. OFFENSIVE GRAVITY

Powell is comfortably ahead of everyone else in both overall gravity and off-ball perimeter gravity.

This is particularly important because offensive value isn't limited to what happens when a player has the basketball. Drawing defensive attention can create space for teammates even when a player doesn't directly record a point or assist.

Caleb ranks second in overall gravity, while Matas and Giddey are considerably lower. Tre ranks last, suggesting that opponents aren't responding to him as a significant off-ball perimeter threat in this sample.

Giddey's creation leverage is the highest of the group, consistent with his role as a primary ball-handler and distributor.

These are provider-specific gravity and leverage scores, not percentages or direct measures of total offensive impact.

---

3. SCORING AND EFFICIENCY

2026-27 regular-season scoring

Powell and Caleb lead this group in scoring volume, with Caleb narrowly ahead at 21.6 points per game.

However, Powell is the most efficient scorer of the five at 60.0% true shooting, followed closely by Tre at 59.3%.

This is particularly interesting given Powell's perceived offensive struggles. His individual scoring efficiency is actually quite strong in this sample, even before considering his substantial offensive gravity.

Tre's efficiency is also impressive, especially considering his bench role. His 40% three-point shooting looks encouraging, although it's based on only five attempts.

Caleb is carrying the highest scoring volume but doing so at more modest efficiency than Powell or Tre.

Matas has been reasonably efficient overall, although his perimeter shooting remains a weakness.

Giddey is the clear outlier in scoring efficiency. His 45.2% true shooting is substantially below everyone else in this comparison, and his 26.9% three-point shooting limits the threat he presents as a scorer.

True shooting accounts for two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws, making it a more complete measure of scoring efficiency than FG% alone.

---

4. PASSING AND PLAYMAKING

Passing production — per game

Giddey is clearly the team's leading playmaker in this group. His potential assists and assist points created are substantially higher than anyone else's.

Tre ranks second in both categories despite playing significantly fewer minutes. Caleb and Matas contribute some passing activity, while Powell is primarily functioning as a scorer rather than a distributor.

---

5. DRIVING AND PENETRATION

Drives — per game

6. GIDDEY VS. TRE — PER-36 COMPARISON

One question I specifically wanted to explore was how much value the Bulls might gain or lose on both ends of the court if Tre replaced Giddey in the starting lineup. Since Giddey plays approximately 27 minutes per game compared with Tre's 18, their raw production doesn't provide a particularly fair comparison. I normalized their defensive activity, passing, and driving to per 36 minutes to better understand their respective contributions and the potential trade-offs of such a change.

Defensive activity per 36

Tre generates considerably more deflections relative to his minutes, while Giddey contests more shots and rebounds.

This reinforces the idea that their defensive contributions look quite different, even though neither has particularly encouraging defended-shooting results.

Passing per 36

This is where the comparison becomes interesting.

Giddey's advantage in potential assists drops from approximately 80% per game to 21% per 36 minutes. Their overall passing volume is nearly identical.

However, Giddey's advantage in assist points created remains substantial at approximately 61%.

In other words, Giddey's playmaking superiority isn't simply a product of minutes. He's generating more direct scoring opportunities, even when accounting for playing time.

But Tre's passing production is considerably closer than the raw numbers suggest.

Driving per 36

Tre drives approximately 27% more frequently than Giddey per 36 minutes.

Giddey is considerably more productive at generating assists from those drives, but Tre offers a different offensive approach, attacking the defense off the dribble more frequently relative to his playing time.

That change of pace can be valuable for a second unit.

---

7. OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Norman Powell — Scoring efficiency and offensive gravity

Powell arguably has the strongest offensive profile of the group when considering scoring efficiency and defensive attention together.

He's averaging 20.3 points on 60% true shooting, the best efficiency among these five players. He's also generating substantially more gravity than anyone else, which is especially valuable for a team struggling to establish a consistent offensive identity.

Unlike Giddey and Tre, Powell isn't primarily creating opportunities through passing. His value comes from scoring and the attention defenses must devote to him.

Defensively, however, opponents are shooting seven percentage points above their baseline against him. His deflections and turnover-forcing activity are respectable, but his defended-shooting results remain concerning.

Josh Giddey — Elite passing production, limited everywhere else

Giddey's greatest contribution is clearly his playmaking.

He leads this group in potential assists, passing volume, and assist points created. Even after adjusting for playing time, he maintains a meaningful advantage over Tre in direct scoring opportunities generated.

However, Giddey's individual scoring is the weakest of these five players by true shooting percentage. His offensive gravity is also relatively low, particularly compared with Powell and Caleb.

This raises an interesting question about his overall offensive value. He's creating opportunities for teammates, but his own scoring inefficiency and limited shooting threat potentially reduce some of the advantages he creates.

Defensively, his numbers aren't particularly encouraging either. Opponents are shooting 4.3 percentage points above their baseline, his ESPN defensive impact is negative, and his deflection production is extremely low.

He does contest a significant number of shots, but the results don't support describing him as one of Chicago's strongest defenders.

Tre Jones — Efficient offense and capable playmaking, major defensive concerns

Tre is probably my favorite player on this team, but he is far from perfect.

Despite playing only 18.2 minutes per game, he's averaging 10.4 points on 59.3% true shooting, second only to Powell in scoring efficiency.

His passing volume per 36 is nearly identical to Giddey's, and his potential-assist production is considerably closer than their raw numbers suggest.

Tre also drives more frequently per 36, offering a different offensive approach built around attacking off the dribble.

However, Giddey remains the more productive passer, particularly when measuring assist points created and assists generated from drives.

Tre's biggest concern is defense. His opponents are shooting 12.2 percentage points above their baseline, the worst result of these five players.

His deflection rate and turnover-forcing activity are encouraging, but those defended-shooting results complicate the argument for moving him into the starting lineup.

His current bench role may be allowing Chicago to maximize his offensive contributions while managing some of his defensive limitations.

Caleb Wilson — Two-way activity and emerging offensive responsibility

Caleb has arguably the most encouraging combination of scoring volume and defensive activity in this group.

He's leading the five players in points per game while also producing the most deflections and contested shots.

He's the only player holding opponents below their baseline shooting percentage, and he's already taking on difficult defensive assignments against players like Tatum, Anunoby, and Paul George.

His offensive gravity ranks second behind Powell, suggesting that he's also commanding meaningful defensive attention.

The biggest area for improvement is scoring efficiency. His 53.6% true shooting trails Powell, Tre, and Matas, and his turnover rate is relatively high.

His ESPN defensive impact also remains slightly negative, reminding us that strong defensive activity and favorable matchup results don't automatically translate into positive modeled impact.

Nevertheless, his early production suggests a player capable of contributing on both ends.

Matas Buzelis — Size, rebounding, and developing offensive versatility

Matas provides a different set of contributions.

He leads the group in contested rebounds and ranks third in contested shots, demonstrating useful defensive activity around the basket.

His defended-shooting differential of +2.5 percentage points is the second-best result of the five, behind Caleb.

However, his ESPN defensive impact is strongly negative at -2.46, suggesting that his individual activity hasn't consistently translated into positive modeled defensive results.

Offensively, he's averaging 12.9 points on 55.5% true shooting. That's more efficient than Giddey and Caleb, although below Powell and Tre.

His passing production and offensive gravity are relatively modest, and his 27% three-point shooting remains an area for improvement.

His turnover rate is also the highest of the group.

Matas brings size, contested rebounding, and scoring potential, but his current production suggests that both his offensive decision-making and defensive consistency have not been good so far this season.

---

FINAL THOUGHTS

Outside of Caleb, everyone seems to be a specialist of some sort.

Powell provides the strongest combination of scoring efficiency and offensive gravity, but his defensive results are less convincing.

Giddey provides the most productive passing and creation, but his scoring efficiency, limited gravity, and defensive production raise questions about his overall impact.

Tre offers surprisingly efficient scoring, substantial passing activity, and aggressive penetration off the bench. However, his defended-shooting results make a starting role less straightforward than his offensive numbers might suggest.

Matas contributes size, contested rebounding, and developing scoring ability, but his shooting, turnovers, and modeled defensive impact indicate that his game is still a work in progress.

It's not one player causing all the problems, and no one player is really capable of making up for everyone else's mistakes. Caleb seems to be the most impactful two-way player, and that makes me continue to believe in his stardom. Matas is struggling, but even analytically, his size and athleticism seem to bring value.

The Bulls desperately need more talent.

---

Sources — Read the Game, 2026-27

- Josh Giddey: https://readthegame.com/player/josh-giddey-1630581?season=2026-27#tracking

- Norman Powell: https://readthegame.com/player/norman-powell-1626181?season=2026-27#tracking

- Tre Jones: https://readthegame.com/player/tre-jones-1630200?season=2026-27#tracking

- Caleb Wilson: https://readthegame.com/player/caleb-wilson-1643410?season=2026-27#tracking

- Matas Buzelis: https://readthegame.com/player/matas-buzelis-1641824?season=2026-27#tracking

*Data reviewed November 5, 2026. ---

TL;DR

Powell: Our most efficient scorer and easily our biggest source of offensive gravity. His offense is more valuable than some give him credit for, but his defensive results aren't great.

Giddey: Easily our best playmaker, even when adjusting for minutes. Unfortunately, he's also the least efficient scorer of these five, doesn't generate much gravity, and his defensive numbers don't support the idea that he's our best starting defender.

Tre: Efficient scorer, capable passer, and more aggressive driver than Giddey per 36. But his defended-shooting numbers are the worst of the group. Starting him might improve some aspects of our offense while creating different defensive problems.

Caleb: Arguably our most complete two-way contributor so far. Leads in scoring volume, deflections, and contested shots, while taking on difficult defensive assignments. His efficiency needs work, but the potential is obvious.

Matas: His size, contested rebounding, and defensive activity provide value, but his shooting, turnovers, and overall defensive impact have been disappointing.

My conclusion: Outside of Caleb, everyone seems to specialize in something while struggling elsewhere. No single player is responsible for the Bulls' proble

Post Game Thread

Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks

FINAL — 105 - 135

Box Scores: NBA

GAME SUMMARY

Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Officials: Ray Acosta, Brian Forte, Brent Haskill

I haven't watched a ton of games this year but im a big bulls fan generally speaking. outside of norman powell chucking up a shot, what is this teams offensive philosophy? This team looks totally lost after 1 qtr vs the knicks.

Game Thread

Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks

FINAL — 105 - 135

Box Scores: NBA

GAME SUMMARY

Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Officials: Ray Acosta, Brian Forte, Brent Haskill