Arturas Karnisovas will be on the hot seat this season

The Chicago Bulls are in a tough spot heading to the new season. With an aging “Big 3” that could not lead the Bulls to the postseason last season, Chicago is expected to contend for a position in the Play-in Tournament, which isn’t a place a team of their stature should be.

The Bulls made several moves in the offseason to bring in better-fitting pieces. Still, all eyes will be on Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas to see how he can turn this ship around.

A lot to prove

During a discussion about the Central Division, beat reporters of The Athletic were asked which player, coach, or executive had much to prove this coming season. Josh Robbins, who covers the Detroit Pistons, quickly named Karnisovas.

“It’s Arturas Karnisovas, Chicago’s executive vice president of basketball operations,” Robbins said.

“The Bulls continue to double down on a veteran nucleus that’s aging and just isn’t good enough to contend in the East,” he continued.

Though DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic each posted stellar individual numbers last season, it didn’t translate to success for the Bulls, as the team floundered all season long. It wasn’t until late in the season that they got their acts together and made a run for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

On the spot

Rather than hit the reset button—whether at the trade deadline or the offseason—Karnisovas re-signed Vucevic to a three-year deal and did not trade either LaVine or DeRozan.

The front office obviously believes in this Bulls’ nucleus despite not having Lonzo Ball for another full season. However, all eyes will definitely be on Karnisovas, especially if things don’t go well in the first few months of the season.

“Unless something changes for the Bulls in the opening months of the season, Karnisovas will be on the spot as the trade deadline approaches,” Robbins said.