Can Tiago Splitter turn the Chicago Bulls into a top-15 defense immediately? Haize breaks down why the Bulls finally have the defensive personnel to make a real jump after allowing 121.5 points per game last season, ranking 28th in the NBA. With Nic Claxton, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis, Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Leonard Miller and Tre Jones, Chicago now has far more size, length, versatility and defensive tools than the group that finished 31–51.
Haize also looks at what Splitter’s Portland defensive success could mean for Chicago. Portland used multiple coverages, controlled shot quality, finished fifth in blocks, allowed the sixth-fewest made threes, and ranked 14th in defensive rating. Now the question is whether Splitter can transfer those principles to a Bulls roster built around Claxton’s rim protection, Okoro’s point-of-attack defense, and the weak-side length of Buzelis and Wilson.
Then the conversation shifts to the Bulls’ rotation battle. The starting five looks clearer with Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and Nic Claxton, but the bench and “outside looking in” group could get ruthless fast. Players like Rob Dillingham, Dailyn Swain, Patrick Williams and Noa Essengue may have to fight for every minute under a new front office and head coach with no loyalty to the old regime.
🔥 Topics include:
- Can Tiago Splitter build a top-15 Bulls defense?
- Why Nic Claxton changes Chicago’s defensive floor
- Isaac Okoro as a matchup specialist
- Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis as defensive playmakers
- What Splitter’s Portland defense showed
- Why the Giddey-Powell backcourt could still be attacked
- Bulls rotation depth entering camp
- Leonard Miller vs Patrick Williams
- Noa Essengue’s path after Summer League
- Which Bulls players are already outside the rotation
🎧 Tap in with Haize on Chicago Bulls Central for the full breakdown!
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