With just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, the Chicago Bulls find themselves in the thick of things in the race for the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.
The Bulls have been playing good basketball during this late part of the season — they won three games in a row, including a hefty 146-115 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
While they certainly have played well, considering their position in the standings, the Bulls may end up ultimately regretting the decision to field a competitive roster rather than tanking outright.
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The Bulls could fall out of the NBA Draft lottery all together
Despite fighting for a postseason spot, the Bulls are 32-40, eight games under 500. They currently own the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference and seem destined to be crushed in the first round or the Play-In.
While they aren't quite good enough to compete with some of the best teams in the league, they're also far away from being in a position to secure the top No.1 overall pick.
Cooper Flagg is widely considered to be the No.1 overall pick and looks every bit of the superstar that he was billed as since stepping foot on Duke, impressing fans and scouts alike.
The Bulls made a major roster shake-up, trading Zach LaVine as part of De'Aaron Fox trade. That move should of signal a shift in the Bull's strategy, possibly focusing on rebuilding and aiming for a high draft high-draft pick.
The last few seasons, they hung around the Pay-In spot or tried to aim to make the postseason when they were better off tanking.
They still have an enticing young roster with potential upside Colby White has been tremendous for the Bulls this season, Josh Giddy has found new life, and rookie Matas Buzelis has flashed moments of brilliance throughout the season, however, none of those players are Cooper Flagg, and the Bulls may be missing their opportunity to get a difference maker.