The return of Coby White has helped.
The sharp-shooting Bulls guard has averaged 24 points in the four games he’s played in since starting the season on the shelf with a strained right calf, cementing himself as the closest thing the roster has to a closer, averaging a team-best 5.3 points in the fourth quarters of those games.
Yet, the Bulls are 2-2 since his 2025-26 debut.
The return of Zach Collins (left wrist) will help.
The 6-foot-9, 250-pounder is the closest thing the roster has to a true physical presence in the paint, and after continuing to ramp up activity on Wednesday, he could make his season debut at some point next week.
Yet, starting center Nikola Vucevic has still been playing at a high level on the offensive end, while Jalen Smith – who has been getting the minutes in Collins’ absence – has been shooting just under 39% from three-point range and averaging 10.2 points per game.
That’s the rub with this Bulls roster this season: Yes, they haven’t been fully whole – few teams in the NBA are these days – but even when, and if, they are, is there a major bump in talent that makes them a threat in the Eastern Conference?
If the answer remains no, then no wonder Vucevic pulled no punches after last week’s one-point win over the Wizards, publicly calling out the team for looking soft and also playing to a style that was unsustainable.
After all, there’s a lot at stake for Vucevic.
He’s not only 35, but he’s on an expiring contract, both he and his family love Chicago, and at the end of the day he’s a team-first guy that has always wanted to deliver the Bulls back to a meaningful playoff run.
As Billy Donovan pointed out, he’s not the only one that feels that way. Vucevic is one of eight current Bulls players that is or could be playing out the final year of a contract, joining Collins, White, Kevin Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu and Jevon Carter, as well as the rookie contracts that Dalen Terry and Julian Phillips are on.
A point that Donovan brought up in the first team meeting and finds himself reiterating weeks later.
“We’ve got eight guys that are on expiring contracts,” Donovan said. “They’re all tied together. Their future and careers are in each other’s hands. You get a player that’s young, that’s in their first or second year, they’re looking down the road and thinking, ‘Fifteen years is forever.’ Vooch is sitting there saying, ‘Hey, this went by like that.’ So I do think that there’s an urgency by Vooch, a mindset, a mentality.”
Because Vucevic knows there’s another scenario in play if this group can turn it around and be a factor in the postseason. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas can be criticized for many mistakes, but he has shown loyalty to the head coaching chair and to a majority of his players.
If this group can not only reach the playoffs but have an impressive showing, a handful of the eight – likely not all – could see multi-year extensions at least be offered.
Who is to say that Vucevic isn’t worth a one-year deal with a second year as a team option to stay a Bull? That especially rings true if the Bulls can start playing with physicality on a consistent basis and sustainable basketball.
“They have to understand the urgency because they all have something to do with each other’s success and they all have something to do with each other’s future,” Donovan added. “I think the moment you get out of yourself and start thinking, ‘What can I do to help the man next to me?’ ‘What can I do to help the man on the court?’ is when you find out the guys that are really committed.”
Few on the roster know that more than Vucevic.