New Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Grahamwhose roster features young building blocks like Josh Giddey, Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis isn’t expecting the team to emerge as a contender during his first year on the job. While Graham wants the Bulls to be competitive, he’s focused more on setting a clear direction for the franchise and building the right habits.
“We want to establish some better standards right from the beginning. That’s what we’re gonna be about, even if the results haven’t caught up to the process,” Graham said at media day on Monday, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter link). “This foundation is being laid, brick by brick, to bring a championship back to Chicago. Raising that banner keeps me up at night.”
As much as Graham might want to speed up the process, he recognizes that patience will be required to get the Bulls where he wants them to go, as Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune details. It’s a sentiment echoed by new head coach Tiago Splitter.
“I know the fans, you guys, everybody wants to see that column with the W on it and have a lot of numbers on those,” Splitter said. “And we also want to have a lot of wins. But we’ve got to be patient. That’s what it takes. It takes time, it takes commitment and a lot of work from staff and players.”
We have more from the Bulls’ media day:
- Chicago’s long-term ceiling could be determined in large part on whether Wilson, this year’s No. 4 overall pick, develops into a star. However, Graham wants to keep expectations in check for the 20-year-old as he enters his rookie season. “The expectations are probably pretty high because Caleb is pretty outspoken, but internally we know it’s a season of growth and development,” Graham said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “We have to be OK with giving him grace this year because he’s going to have some ups and downs. There’s going to be progress, and there’s going to be some regression.”
- Chicago also added defensive-minded center Nic Claxton this summer. Claxton battled back issues two years ago and has struggled since then to recapture his peak form, but he says he’s fully healthy entering the 2026/27 season and is ready to get back to being an impactful player, Cowley writes for The Sun-Times. “A couple years ago it really bothered me, but last year it wasn’t a problem,” the big man said. “… I figured out my body, figured out what I need to do to stay on top of it, so I’m good to go.” Claxton also said that the kind of tanking the Nets were engaged in last year can impact a player’s game, but he appreciates his time in Brooklyn and knows that no matter the situation, it’s on him to be a professional.
- Buzelis is looking forward to year three and the responsibilities that come with being one of the team’s cornerstone players. He’s also looking forward to taking on the role that Splitter envisions for him, Lorenzi writes for The Athletic. “I feel like there’s gonna be more freedom for me offensively, be more aggressive defensively,” Buzelis said. “I feel like I’m gonna have a little more leeway of how I play than last year.” The 21-year-old added that he felt like he was shooting too many three-pointers last season and is focused more on getting downhill and attacking the rim with his athleticism. Splitter agreed that Buzelis would have freedom to learn from mistakes but emphasized that there will be times when he has to put his teacher’s hat on. “I’m not gonna take him out because of one turnover type of thing,” Splitter said. “But if there’s something that we’ve been talking and trying to work on — let’s say, turnovers, and he’s got four in a row — well, you gotta sit here with me (on the bench) for a little bit.”