3 Bulls Players Whose Roles Could Change Drastically This Season

The Chicago Bulls aren't just starting a new chapter, they are opening a whole new book.

Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter arrive at the Bulls with seemingly very different intentions than the past regime. The goal for the 2026-27 campaign will not be to push for the Play-In Tournament at all costs. Instead, the Bulls are finally embracing a more traditional rebuild, which is going to lead to a very different in-season experience.

Does that mean the next handful of months will not be enjoyable? On the contrary, actually. Watching this young group learn on the fly should make for its own kind of fun viewing experience. What it does mean, however, is that some things are inevitably going to change for certain players on the roster.

Let's discuss three roster members who might see their roles change drastically in the coming months. I decided to go with a few names who may not come to mind right off the bat. In other words, I avoided someone like Patrick Williams, who could very well find himself out of the rotation altogether.

Norman Powell

Don't get me wrong, Norman Powell was brought to the Chicago Bulls to score. The 33-year-old was handed a sizeable free-agent deal to serve as a key sharpshooter and veteran voice on a young team. The shots will be there for him, especially in big moments to begin the season.

At the same time, let's not forget where he's coming from. Powell is a reigning NBA All-Star. He averaged 21.2 points a night on 47.0 percent shooting from the field and 38.0 percent shooting from long range. Powell was also getting to the charity stripe 5.5 times a night, which served as a career high.

Powell had a usage rating of 24.9 percent, which ranked in the league's 93rd percentile. The Miami Heat were doing everything they could to stay alive in the postseason hunt under Erik Spoelstra, and Powell was asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Well, I think it's safe to say the expectations will not be nearly as high in Chicago.

Again, none of this is to say Powell will not have an important scoring role, but the Bulls' priorities are a whole lot different. They are in the thick of a rebuild and almost certainly going to prioritize the development of young players like Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson. Powell's job will be to help in that growth, which sometimes means setting them up for success and deferring, as opposed to doing everything he can to clinch the W.

Especially as the 2026-27 campaign goes on, we could see Powell slide into far more of a supporting role than meets the eye. In other words, something similar to what we saw during his Sixth Man days in Los Angeles or even his role-playing days in Toronto. The good news is that he does have those past experiences to look toward, as well as an apparent willingness to play whichever role is asked of him.

At the end of the day, Powell knows what he signed up for. The Bulls are going to be tweaking things all season long and looking to get their young players increasingly involved. For Powell, this likely doesn't mean a second trip to All-Star Weekend.

Josh Giddey

Josh Giddey is in for an interesting year.

The previous regime viewed Josh Giddey as a fundamental building block. They traded an All-Defensive Team guard to bring him in and rewarded him with a four-year, $100.0 million deal. As for the current regime, the verdict is very much out on Giddey's long-term value.

Does that mean they are destined to give up on him? Of course not. But it does mean that Giddey will likely have to prove himself to Bryson Graham and Company, especially if he wants anywhere near a similar role to last season. Like Powell, he's bound to play an important part in the offense, but there is a good chance that this new-look Bulls team doesn't ask him to do nearly as much.

Indeed, Arturas Karnisovas clearly believed in what Giddey could offer as a scorer and lead guard. There was a pretty clear emphasis on him attacking the basket, as well as chucking up more three-point shots. However, will Tiago Splitter ask the same of him? It sure feels like Giddey's role could be simplified quite a bit. The revamped Bulls may want to use his facilitating skills and leave the bucket-getting to their uber-athletic wings.

The addition of Nic Claxton could certainly help Giddey produce more out of the pick-and-roll. But the truth is that he's never been a particularly dynamic scorer, specifically in the half-court. With that in mind, I could see the Bulls taking that off his plate significantly. Maybe I'm wrong, but it sure feels like Powell, Wilson, and Buzelis will all be asked to get more buckets.

Leonard Miller

One of Bryson Graham's initial moves as the Chicago Bulls' front office leader was to pick up the team option on Leonard Miller. And rightfully so.

After coming over at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miller saw increased playing time and made the most of it. He averaged nearly 15.0 points per game over his last 18 contests of 2025-26 to go along with 7.3 rebounds. Miller also shot an impressive 54.6 percent from the field and a solid 35.2 percent from long range.

Still only 22 years old, Miller never really got the opportunity to eat minutes with Minnesota as they consistently pushed for the postseason. But he proved at the end of last year that he could potentially be a very exciting two-way role player. He stands six-foot-ten, has aggressive athleticism, and good enough footwork to guard multiple positions.

Speaking of which, Miller seems to fit the SLAP model perfectly. Add in how hard he plays, and it's easy to see a scenario where he quickly wins over this coaching staff and front office. Miller also straight-up outperformed Patrick Williams down the stretch of last season. Assuming that continues this year, you're likely to see him rewarded with significantly more playing time.

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