3 Chicago Bulls Players Fighting for a Rotation Spot This Preseason

The Chicago Bulls are only days away from their first training camp of a new era.

There will be a lot on the plate of head coach Tiago Splitter, who will be tasked with establishing a culture from scratch both on and off the court. A big part of this process will be choosing who to trust. On a team in full rebuild mode, it can be difficult to determine who deserves an immediate spot in the rotation. Do you simply give the minutes to the youngest talent, or do you try to make those who have struggled earn their keep?

Only time will tell, but there is no question that the Bulls have a few players who will force Splitter into a tough decision. Let's walk through three roster members who could find themselves on the outside of the Bulls rotation later this October.

Rob Dillingham

After coming over at the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline, Rob Dillingham had a hard time convincing head coach Billy Donovan that he deserved playing time. It wasn't until injuries stacked up that he found a consistent spot in the rotation. Nevertheless, Dillingham didn't do himself any favors during those final few weeks.

The former lottery pick was a benchwarmer in Minnesota, looking very out of his element whenever he stepped into the game. Unfortunately, this only continued in his transition to Chicago. The guard was often moving too fast for his own good, leading to turnovers or low-percentage looks around the rim.

With that in mind, there is no question that an uphill battle remains for Dillingham to carve out a meaningful rotational role. The good news is that the competition has undoubtedly dwindled. Likewise, the Bulls' organizational philosophy has changed rather drastically, meaning that they could be far more willing to give him the developmental playing time he clearly needs. At the same time, it's hard to know exactly how invested Bryson Graham or Tiago Splitter is in Dillingham's long-term future.

He may only be 21 years old, but he doesn't necessarily fit the profile of what this new brain trust seems to like. Dillingham lacks positional size, strength, and length. The speed and ball-handling remain pretty intriguing, but is that really enough for the Bulls to make him a primary backup?

It would be far easier to buy into if Dillingham's scoring proved as efficient as many expected when he first came into the league. A remarkably productive three-level guy at Kentucky, Dillingham has looked out of sync behind the arc and outmatched in the paint. Again, there is a fair case to make that more reps will push things in the right direction, but he's going to have to win over this new staff to make that happen.

The point guard position, in particular, is so important for what the Bulls are trying to do this year. The growth of Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson remains paramount, and they have two strong pass-first options in Josh Giddey and Tre Jones. Might there be some room at shooting guard? Sure, but Isaac Okoro might be first in line to serve as the main second option thanks to his on-ball defense.

At the end of the day, the road isn't as rocky as it was a year ago, but Dillingham isn't walking into training camp with a guaranteed role.

Patrick Williams

The front office is no longer trying to make fetch (aka Patrick Williams) happen.

Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley were never going to fully wave the white flag on their former No. 4 overall pick. After all, they paid him a staggering $90 million guaranteed over five seasons. Even if head coach Billy Donovan ended up benching the 25-year-old, it never truly felt like he would be sent to the back of the bench.

Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter don't carry that burden, however. They didn't draft him. They didn't pay him. In fact, they ended up drafting a player who will directly eat into Williams' minutes with their own No. 4 overall pick (*cough* Caleb Wilson *cough*).

Indeed, the version of Williams that has taken the floor over the past couple of years isn't going to be rewarded with legitimate playing time under this new coaching staff. There are too many other talented wings on this roster that fit the organization's preferred profile. And this includes Leonard Miller, who significantly outplayed Williams down the stretch of last season and saw his option picked up under new management.

Look, as triggering as it may be to say, Williams is only 25 years old. It's not entirely out of the question that new leadership can help put him on a better trajectory. He does have the physical traits to be a good defender, and his three-ball has continued to be far better than anyone expected at the NBA level.

Maybe there is a scenario where he matures into a decent 3-and-D guy. But the Bulls are no longer going to wait around to see if he can find his footing. If he wants a role, he's going to have to execute in practice and in whatever minutes he does receive early this year.

Noa Essengue

Noa Essengue is the biggest wild card on the Chicago Bulls' roster.

Appearing in only two games during his rookie year, Essengue spent the majority of his first season in the NBA rehabbing from shoulder surgery. He was cleared in the lead-up to Summer League, traveling with the team to Las Vegas and competing for the second year in a row. The results, however, were far grimmer than the first time out.

In fact, Tiago Splitter decided to bench Essengue at one point, seemingly hoping it would light a fire under the former No. 12 overall pick. All that followed was more troubling play, as the Frenchman could barely stay on his feet and looked lost on the offensive end.

To be clear, Essengue was always going to be a project piece. He was among the rawest players in his draft class, and the former regime was banking on the long-term upside. That's undoubtedly still there for Essengue, who remains only 19 years old. He's also coming off a major injury and deserves more than just a Summer League stint to get back in the swing of things.

The lack of coordination and an elite skill set, however, make it difficult to see where Essengue can carve out a role in 2026-27. Once again, this roster is stuffed with lanky and athletic wings who seemingly already do what Essengue does a whole lot better. It might not hurt to throw him into some games for evaluation purposes, but being tossed into the fire can be detrimental for some players. Essengue might be one of those players.

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