With quarter of the season done, Chicago Bulls still trying to find identity

The Bulls don’t know which version will show up every night.

So far, the only thing the Chicago Bulls are consistent at is being inconsistent. 

With a quarter of their regular season already in the books, the Bulls find themselves struggling to make any real progress in finding an identity. At 9-12, the Bulls stand outside the play-in games and will have to do some serious work if they want to make it back into the playoffs.

Which version will show up?

The Bulls have had little success stringing together back-to-back wins while also being able to pull off some surprising upsets here and there. 

On one hand, they hold high-profile victories over the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and the league's best team, the Boston Celtics. However, they've also suffered baffling losses to rebuilding teams like the Orlando Magic, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs.

"It's consistently being inconsistent. We can be two different teams. We can be a team like in Utah that's really helping each other and on a string and moving. Other times, we're not like that," said Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.

Bulls know what they're capable of

A lack of consistency on offense and defense has plagued the Bulls. While their offensive production has seen some impressive highs, with players like DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine capable of putting up big numbers on any given night, they can't sustain those same levels night after night.

On the defensive side, they've been just as unreliable, especially when it comes to defending the three-point arc. Despite putting forth a great effort in some games and stifling opposing offenses, they often cannot sustain that same intensity throughout an entire game.

"There is some work to do. It's pretty clear when we are locked in we have good results, and when we don't the results are something like tonight. It's hard to take something out of it because we really didn't do much out there. It has to come from us and we have to be better. It has to be the same approach every game, and we haven't done that," said Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic.