In 2021, the Chicago Bulls decided to completely shake up their roster. No more rebuilding. They wanted to win. At the deadline, they made a monster move for Nikola Vuevic, sending big-time assets to the Orlando Magic. And the following summer, they brought in DeMar DeRozan, creating a Big 3 of him, Zach LaVine, and Vucevic. Unfortunately, they’ve been brutal ever since, and Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation chalks up their failures to two things: Lack of playmaking and a lack of playoff experience.
“Look, I understood the Bulls’ logic from the beginning,” Schuster wrote. “Let’s get three All-Star-level scorers together and try to build one of the more dynamic three-level offenses in the NBA. It sounds fun in theory. But the fact of the matter is that there is only one ball and neither of these three players are particularly gifted playmakers.
“The other big problem was that none of them had seen what winning looks like at the highest level. Nikola Vucevic came to Chicago with 11 total playoff games under his belt and only two playoff wins. Zach LaVine didn’t have a single playoff appearance on his resume at the time. DeMar DeRozan obviously had the most experience thanks to multiple successful years in Toronto, but he built a less-than-ideal reputation for going cold under the spotlight. He also had just one playoff appearance during his three seasons with San Antonio.”
Since the core’s inception, they’ve won just a single playoff game. It’s been a completely and utter failure.
