Chicago Bulls land at no. 22 in ESPN's Power Rankings

The Chicago Bulls' decision to run their core back was not lost on some basketball experts. After all, the "Big 3" of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic all had solid seasons and were, for the most part, all healthy last season. As a matter of fact, Vucevic played in all 82 games last season. Despite those positive developments, the Bulls still failed to make it to the NBA Playoffs, falling to the Miami Heat in the Play-in Tournament.

Now, the Bulls will run it back with many of the same faces, leaving the pundits at ESPN to rank the team 22nd in their offseason Power Rankings.

Deja vu?

It cannot be overstated how critical a role Lonzo Ball played in the Bulls' success early in the 2021-2022 season. With Ball masterfully running the point, Chicago raced to the top of the standings. However, when Ball went down with a knee injury in January of 2022, things went downhill for the Bulls and have remained that way ever since.

That said, could it be deja vu once again for the Bulls, considering that Ball will not play a single second this upcoming season?

"The Bulls continue to retool their team around the trio of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic despite the fact that the organization does not expect Lonzo Ball to play during the 2023-24 season," ESPN's Jamal Collier said.

Will the additions be enough?

Apart from the re-signings of Vucevic along with guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls also acquired Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig from the free agent market, bolstering their already-elite defense further and adding some outside marksmanship. The question remains, though, will these new players move the needle enough for the Bulls come the 2023-2024 season?

"Still, Chicago made a few shrewd signings with the additions of Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig to add some much needed 3-point shooting and bench depth," Collier added.