Can the Bulls Win the Division?
The best team in the Eastern Conference is not the Brooklyn Nets or Milwaukee Bucks right now. Instead, the top spot is held by the Chicago Bulls. Nobody expected the Bulls to be this good, this fast.
The offseason was a busy time for the Bulls. They grabbed a lot of important pieces for this season. One of those new additions is Lonzo Ball.
The other addition has been extremely vital for the Bulls. Demar DeRozan has brought an extra boost to the squad. Now they are holding the top spot in the conference, despite it being so early in the season.
However, the NBA community doesn’t think this can sustain. The defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks, are in their division. We are all waiting for the Bucks to turn it on and win the division, along with being a top two seed in the conference.
The Bulls are playing extremely better than the Bucks, but nobody believes in them yet. Are the Bulls capable of taking the division away from the Bucks?
New Team, New Attitude
The Bulls made several changes. They added the bigger names like Ball and DeRozan, but there were some other key pieces put in place. Alex Caruso is in the Windy City after a couple seasons with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Caruso has brought some tough and rugged defense to this team thus far. Derrick Jones Jr. has finally been getting some playing time and he is bringing some athleticism and energy to the court.
DeRozan though has been the star of the new acquisitions. He is currently averaging 25.6 points per game, which is tied for first with the franchise guy, Zach LaVine.
Nikola Vucevic was acquired last trade deadline, but didn’t play with most of these guys. LaVine was out due to Covid, so they never truly played with one another.
LaVine is the obvious star of the team, but is not afraid to defer to the other players on the roster. The new found attitude of this team is a sight to see. This might be a new team, but the chemistry is already top notch.
The Bucks are Still the Top Dogs
The Milwaukee Bucks are the defending champions, but they are currently 3-4. They are not playing the caliber of basketball we expect from them. However, their odds are still at -500 to win the division, while the Bulls are at +350. The beginning of the season did see a much different outlook of the odds.
The Bucks were -800 to win the division right before the season began, while the Bulls were slated at +900. Things are changing, but the Bucks are still the top dogs in the division.
They have the championship pedigree. The team is not fully healthy just yet. Lastly, they might have the best player on the planet in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
There is a reason why they are going to be favored all year long. That would be the case unless they take a consistent dip and the Bulls are excellent throughout the year. Other than that, the Bucks might still take the division with ease.
