2 Reasons Why the Bulls Hiring Tiago Splitter is a Perfect Fit, Plus One Big Question

The Chicago Bulls have reportedly found their next head coach.

While the organization has yet to make the news official, multiple reports have said that the team is finalizing a deal to name Tiago Splitter as Billy Donovan's replacement. Splitter has been a main figurehead in the search for weeks after his successful season taking over the Portland Trail Blazers.

To be clear, there is still plenty of unknown for Splitter, who undoubtedly checks the box of a young (41) up-and-coming lead decision-maker. But the hire feels like a potentially perfect fit for a Bulls team beginning a new era. Let's talk about two reasons why Splitter is well-suited for Chicago's opening, as well as one major question as we head into the 2026-27 campaign.

Proven Upside

Apr 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Portland Trail Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter rects in the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

As the Chicago Bulls' list of front office candidates started to take shape, Tiago Splitter stood out more and more. The organization was looking at a long list of high-ranking assistants. Lead executive Bryson Graham was seemingly on the hunt for a younger leader who could grow with the franchise. Pursuing a top assistant is a more natural fit with that mantra.

To be sure, Splitter checks that box. He has climbed the NBA ranks since 2018 as an assistant, serving in that role with Brooklyn, Houston, and Portland. However, what differentiates him from a finalist like Minnesota's Micah Nori is that he essentially has a full year of NBA head coaching experience under his belt.

It's well-documented that Splitter was thrown into the fire this past season. After Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested one game into the year, Splitter took over as the interim leader. To call what happened next a success wouldn't be hyperbole. He led a Trail Blazers organization that had not cracked the postseason since 2020-21 to the West's No. 7 seed. He went 42-39 at the helm and demonstrated that the job wasn't too big for him. One has to imagine that is what stood out to Graham and Co.

Indeed, Splitter offers the best of both worlds. While 2026-27 will technically be his first real season as a first-time head coach, it may not come with the same kind of questions or bumps in the road that first-year leaders normally experience. There is a real sample size to point to for Splitter, which should make the transition smoother for everyone. That could matter quite a lot, especially with so many new and young players expected to enter the fold this summer.

We also can't ignore Splitter's previous experience as a head coach with Paris Basketball and the Brazilian National Team. He led Paris to an LNB Elite championship, as well as a French Cup victory, in 2024. He only served as the head coach of this group for a year before taking the assistant job in Portland.

As for his national team experience, he was the head coach of the U23 squad that won a Globl Jam gold medal in 2023. He has also served as an assistant on the main national team coaching staff since 2021. Of course, this included serving on the staff during their most recent Olympic run in 2024.

At the end of the day, the Bulls were always going to prioritize upside over experience in this latest coaching search. This same theme is what will guide them through the next couple of years and likely define Graham's tenure. With that said, Splitter represents a level of proven upside. He is a calculated risk that feels worth the gamble.

Player Development Experience

Mar 27, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Tiago Splitter instructs players before a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

After seven years as a player in the NBA, Tiago Splitter got his coaching start with the Brooklyn Nets. His first role was in the player development department, where he built up enough equity for Ime Udoka to hire him as an assistant to his new Houston staff in 2023.

At the time, this Rockets roster was very young. They had a rookie Amen Thompson, a second-year Jabari Smith Jr., and a third-year Alperen Sengun. All three have turned into quality starters, with Sengun even reaching All-Star status each of the past two seasons.

Now, can Splitter sit there and claim sole responsibility for the growth of those players? Of course not. But there is no doubt he played a role and gained some valuable experience working with high-upside young talent.

We need to look no further, however, than this past season to see Splitter's knack for leading youngsters. Out of the 20 players who stepped foot on the court for the Trail Blazers, 14 of them were 25 years or younger. This includes starters like Deni Avdija, Sheadon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan. And Splitter still led this group to an above .500 record.

Avdija and Sharpe, in particular, had the best season of their careers. The former made an All-Star game for the first time, averaging 24.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 6.6 rebounds. Sharpe dropped 20.8 points a night while shooting a respectable 45.2 percent from the field. Have both taken steps in past years? Yes, but Splitter deserves some credit for helping them continue that upward trajectory this season.

If one thing has been made clear about Splitter since the start of his coaching career, it's that player development has been a focus. It's where he started in Brooklyn. It's why he was the head of the U23 Brazil squad. It's why he was brought in by two different head coaches to do two different young rosters. It may not guarantee that he will be a successful long-term head coach, but it makes him a particularly intriguing hire for where the Bulls are at right now.

Major Question: What's His Identity?

While there are some obvious reasons to jump aboard the Tiago Splitter hype train, it's impossible to call it a home run hire at this point. He's still a relatively unproven leader, and we can't necessarily say that last season's run with Portland is a perfect indication of what a Splitter-run team will look like.

The truth is that Splitter took over a group that wasn't his. Chauncey Billups built the culture and established the style of play. Did Splitter make his tweaks throughout the year? Sure, but we can't forget how important training camp and the preseason are for building an identity. Splitter was presumably running a very similar system to what Billups had in mind, which means we don't really know what his preferred team looks like.

A lot of head coaches arrive with a specific style or a more proven track record on one side of the ball. Splitter doesn't necessarily offer either. To be sure, the Trail Blazers did emphasize the defensive end last season, finishing with the 12th-highest efficiency rating in the league. But, again, it's hard to say if that is enough to coin Splitter as a defense-first guy.

The offense also struggled quite a bit at times. They shot third-worst in the NBA from downtown, as well as finished dead-last in assist-to-turnover ratio. Is this an indication of Splitter's shortcomings offensively, or rather just a reflection of roster construction and a lack of perimeter shooting?

The good news is that Splitter actually did finish third in location effective field goal percentage, per Cleaning the Glass. In other words, they did have one of the better shot profiles in the league and prioritized the right looks. The players just didn't knock them down nearly enough. Splitter will at least have some real ball-handlers to work with in Chicago, as both Josh Giddey and Tre Jones are better facilitators than anyone on the current Portland roster.

Splitter also played under Greg Popovich for many years and won a ring with the Spurs in 2014. One has to imagine this left a strong impression on the big man, and it could speak to the more fundamentally sound basketball he hopes to instill in Chicago.

Nevertheless, exactly who Splitter is as an X's and O's guy is a pretty big wild card. It may not be something the Bulls are super worried about right now, as they focus more on straight development. But it will be an important area to keep an eye on as the Bulls try to make him into their head coach of the future.

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