Chicago Bulls makes their first playoff appearance since 2017

With DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, the Chicago Bulls should be a very strong team in the Eastern Conference and in my eyes, they are absolutely a lock to make the playoffs. There is a chance that they could fall in that 7/8-seed range, forcing them to earn their playoff spot in the play-in tournament, but I really do think they could clinch the 4-6-seed outright. 

This team is ready to contend in the Eastern Conference after years of rebuilding and DeMar DeRozan’s presence on this team is going to make an instant impact from Day 1. Maybe they will not live up to the hype of being a legit team in the East, but with three dynamic scorers, as well as some versatile talent in their backcourt, Chicago has the makings of being a really solid team all throughout the 2021-22 season. 

The fact that they have Patrick Williams on the wing is something I believe is getting overlooked as well. Last year’s 4th overall pick in the draft put together a solid rookie season, averaging 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals and shot 39.1% from three-point land, but he is primed to take a major step in Year 2. 

The Bulls had him playing in Summer League and after just three games, they shut him down because he was so impressive that they did not want him to get hurt playing meaningless games. Williams averaged 21.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and shot 43.8% from three-point range, making him a key talent to watch on this roster during next season. 

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Maybe I am higher on the Bulls than many others entering the 2021-22 season, but with three All-Stars, as well as a ton of other young, versatile talents, I truly think this Bulls team could be a lot like last year’s Atlanta Hawks team in terms of exceeding the expectations placed on them and surprising everyone.