The Chicago Bulls’ body language said it all.
Throughout Wednesday night’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the Chicago Bulls looked defeated several times before the final buzzer actually sounded. Nikola Vucevic was stomping around. Josh Giddey was slouching in his chair. Matas Buzelis had his head in his hands.
The Brooklyn Nets – entering the night with only four wins on the board and scoring the fewest points in the NBA – looked as comfortable as they had all season. Chicago was basically using the same electronic wands you see guiding planes to point the Nets toward wide-open threes. They also must have buttered their hands at each timeout to ensure the sloppiest of ball control.
Bulls dominated the Nets in the paint 60-36 but …
Nets outscored the Bulls 57-21 behind the arc. They made 14 threes in the second half alone. Crazy.
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) December 4, 2025
It was the kind of mess that makes it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, a four-win Pacers team and a Stephen Curry-less Golden State may be on the schedule next, but the Bulls have already lost to the former and look bound to let Jimmy Butler go full Jimmy G. Buckets mode (the G stands for gets).
Is It Time to Embrace the Tank?
With the Milwaukee Bucks surprisingly beating the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls have officially dropped into the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference. In other words, if the season ended today, they would miss the postseason entirely.
Of course, there are many more games to be played. The Bulls could find themselves back in the Play-In Tournament mix, particularly when we consider the Giannis Antetokounmpo drama in Milwaukee and the unhealthy core in Philly. They are technically only 3.0 games back from a Top 6 spot in the conference.
However, this line of thinking is exactly what has gotten the front office in trouble the past few years. They continue to act as if they are on the cusp of being a truly competitive team, but the proof is in the pudding. They are 24th in net rating over the last 14 games with a 3-11 record. At the time of the matchups, they lost to the two-win Pelicans, four-win Hornets, three-win Pacers, and now the four-win Nets. Three games back might as well feel like 15.
Dec 3, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) and Chicago Bulls forward Julian Phillips (15) fight for a rebound during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
This ugly stretch has brought the front office back to a very familiar crossroad. They can either put too much stock in their 5-0 start and continue to fight for mediocrity, or they can become a true trade deadline seller with a focus on a very talented 2026 NBA Draft.
If the offseason words from the front office hold any weight, it feels as if the latter might finally be in play. Arutras Karnisovas preached patience, evaluation, and player development. He also has a boatload of expiring contracts at his disposal. Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Nikola Vucevic, and even Kevin Huerter all feel capable of drawing real interest on the trade market. Time to use that to your advantage?
I recognize that this may not be a conversation the front office wants to have during the first week of December, but I also don’t want to go outside every few hours to shovel the snow. Starting now could save you from serious (back) pain later.
Offensive Spiral
The strangest thing about the Chicago Bulls recent five-game losing streak is undoubtedly their offensive inefficiency. While many came into the year expecting this team to rank near the bottom of the league defensively, they felt more than capable of scoring the basketball. After all, following last season’s All-Star break last season, they averaged the second-most points in the NBA behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Over this five-game losing streak, the Bulls have scored only 114.0 points a night, which is 21st in the NBA. They have also shot 34.8 percent from behind the arc (19th) and have seen their assist percentage drop out of the league’s Top 10.
The wheels fully fell off in Wednesday night’s meeting with the Nets, who came into the evening with the second-worst defensive rating in the league. A big reason for that has been the 58.1 effective field goal percentage allowed to their opponents this season – a league high. So how did Chicago fare? They recorded an EFG% of 46.1, which is the worst mark against Brooklyn’s defense this season.
Turnovers have also become a major problem. The Bulls have recorded the 8th-highest turnover percentage in the league during this losing stretch. Josh Giddey has a season-high in turnovers against Orlando with eight, while Nikola Vucevic had six against Brooklyn.
Now, should getting healthier help the Bulls pick things back up on this end? Absolutely. The return of Coby White, in particular, will give them the kind of on-ball weapon they desperately need. But injuries aren’t an excuse, especially when you are facing this level of competition. The Bulls simply do not look like the same heavily connected and bought-in team we saw at the beginning of the year.
City Edition Jerseys
On a lighter note, what did fans think of their first look at the new city edition uniforms?
While the threads seemed to get positive reviews when released earlier this season, it’s always safest to reserve judgement until they are donned under the United Center lights. For what it’s worth, I think these might creep their way up into the Top 3 of the Bulls City Edition collection.
I’ve long been a favorite of the OGs, which featured the white base with a red Chicago script and stars on the side. The throwback look from the 2021-22 season also deserves to be right near the top of the list – if not No. 1. This year’s look, however, puts a nice twist on something that feels very classic. It may not pop as much as the red pinstripes, but it’s hard not to like.
If only they did the jersey justice!
First in-game look at the City jerseys. Clean. @MotorolaUS | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/XwaH96vTCg
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 4, 2025