Chicago entrust their rebuild to Splitter
Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis remain key pillars, Caleb Wilson arrives via the draft and the Bulls add Claxton, Powell and Hield. Tiago Splitter must give this group structure and fix a defence that cost them dearly last season.
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Chicago have a new coach and their rebuild goes on. The Bulls finished twelfth in the East in 2025–2026, with 31 wins and 51 defeats. They scored 116.3 points per game but conceded 121.5. That gap explains Tiago Splitter's first job: a team cannot rely on its attack to bail out such a leaky defence every night.
Appointed in June, the new coach must also develop a squad in which young players have a big role. Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis remain pillars. Caleb Wilson, taken fourth in the draft, arrives with responsibilities still to be earned rather than a status to be taken for granted.
Appointed 16 June 2026
points scored per 100 possessions
points conceded per 100 possessions
per game, for 116.3 scored
possessions per game: a team that runs
per game
Rankings out of 30 teams, 2025–2026 regular season.
Claxton, Powell and Hield join the young core
Nic Claxton, Norman Powell and Buddy Hield have joined Chicago. Hield was acquired from Charlotte on 27 September, in a trade that sent Rob Dillingham to the Hornets. Dailyn Swain, taken fifteenth in the draft, is also in the group for the new season. Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton are among the summer departures.
- →Nic ClaxtonBrooklyn · centre
- →Norman PowellMiami · 21.7 points in 2025–2026
- →Buddy HieldCharlotte · against Rob Dillingham (27 September)
- →
- ←Anfernee SimonsSummer departure
- ←Collin SextonSummer departure
The newcomers do not all fill the same need. Claxton adds an option at centre, where Chicago must do a better job of containing opposing attacks. Powell and Hield bring experience on the perimeter and more ways to score. Their place in the team has to fit with that of the youngsters, rather than wipe out chances to develop them.
Who scored, in the current group
Points per game, 2025–2026 regular season, all teams combined. Powell was the top scorer in the current squad, ahead of Giddey and Buzelis.
Josh Giddey, the playmaker
Giddey is the anchor for organising the attack. Buzelis must take on more of a role on the wing, while Wilson discovers the NBA. Their partnership will be one of the first benchmarks of the season: the Bulls need these players to learn to be useful together, not just to pile up individual stats.
32 % of the team's assists
18 % of the team's rebounds
Shares calculated by SNA from per-game averages (Giddey: 54 games). Order of magnitude, not an official statistic.
Giddey runs the show, Buzelis and Wilson must grow
A starting five of Giddey, Powell, Buzelis, Wilson and Claxton is one possible SNA projection. Splitter need not be locked into that line-up: roles, pairings and availability remain to be settled. Claxton, notably, is listed as doubtful on the SNA player page consulted on 14 October.
Running the offence
Outside shooting
On the wings
To be developed
Inside
Doubtful as of 14 October
SNA projection, not an official starting five. Form based on SNA player profiles. Each player opens their SNA profile.
The bench offers several profiles. Tre Jones gives another option at point guard, Hield an outside shooting threat. Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams and Leonard Miller are among the options on the wings, with Noa Essengue and Swain still to be developed. Inside, Zach Collins, Jalen Smith and Orlando Robinson complete the choices. The size of the preparation squad means minutes cannot be promised to everyone.
The three-point shot, player by player
Red line: Chicago's 2025–2026 average, 35.6% (19th in the NBA). Attempts per game, regular season, all teams combined.
The group: 21 players
The official list contains 21 players. The table groups versatile positions together; it shows the current squad, not Splitter's final rotation.
| Player | Status | Pts | Reb | Ast | 3PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guards | |||||
| Josh Giddey | 17.0 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 36.4 % | |
| Buddy Hield | New signing · Charlotte | 7.6 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 34.9 % |
| Brandon Boston Jr. | – | – | – | – | |
| Jordan Hawkins | 5.1 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 34.8 % | |
| Norman Powell | New signing · Miami | 21.7 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 38.0 % |
| Tre Jones | 14.1 | 3.1 | 5.4 | 31.5 % | |
| Jaylin Sellers | Doubtful | – | – | – | – |
| Forwards | |||||
| Noa Essengue | – | – | – | – | |
| Dailyn Swain | Draft · 15th pick | – | – | – | – |
| Caleb Wilson | Draft · 4th pick | – | – | – | – |
| Drew Peterson | – | – | – | – | |
| Leonard Miller | 7.8 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 32.3 % | |
| Matas Buzelis | 16.3 | 5.8 | 2.1 | 34.9 % | |
| Jalen Bridges | – | – | – | – | |
| Patrick Williams | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 34.7 % | |
| Isaac Okoro | Doubtful | 9.3 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 33.0 % |
| Tobe Awaka | Doubtful | – | – | – | – |
| Centres and bigs | |||||
| Orlando Robinson | – | – | – | – | |
| Nic Claxton | New signing · BrooklynDoubtful | 11.7 | 6.9 | 3.7 | – |
| Zach Collins | Doubtful | 9.7 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 42.9 % |
| Jalen Smith | 10.2 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 37.3 % | |
2025–2026 regular-season averages, all teams combined: Powell with Miami, Claxton with Brooklyn, Hield with Golden State then Atlanta, Leonard Miller with Minnesota then Chicago. Isaiah Stevens appears on the SNA profile list but not on the official NBA list. Doubtful players according to SNA profiles as of 14 October. “–”: no NBA game in 2025–2026, fewer than 10 games or fewer than one 3-point attempt per game. Each name opens the player's SNA profile.
The first improvement must come at the defensive end
Chicago have more ways to surround Giddey and their young wings. Hield's shooting can create space, and the options at centre allow for different pairings. But these possibilities will not be enough if the Bulls keep conceding so many points.
The work involves all five players on the floor: stopping the first wave of attack, helping a beaten teammate, then securing the rebound. Claxton cannot be asked to fix every defensive lapse on his own. For the youngsters, understanding these responsibilities will matter as much as winning a place in the offensive sets.
The weapons
- A creative point guard: Giddey, 9.1 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game in 2025–2026.
- Pace: 103.2 possessions per game, 3rd in the NBA.
- Extra scoring: Powell (21.7 per game at Miami) and Hield's shooting.
- Young talent to develop: Buzelis, Wilson, Essengue, Swain.
For SNA, climbing out of the bottom of the table while giving the squad a lasting structure is the first credible objective.
A push for the play-in will depend on defensive improvement that the new signings alone do not yet prove.
Thursday 22 October 2026 at 00:30, Brazzaville time · match centre
- The team’s live schedule appears here.
Countdown to tip-off.