NBA Offseason Guide 2022 - How the Chicago Bulls should approach the offseason

A first-round exit is not what the Chicago Bulls envisioned back in January.

The Bulls were 27-13 and held the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but injuries and a difficult second-half schedule led to Chicago quickly being forced to compete to stay out of the play-in tournament. While they were able to do that, they quickly found themselves overmatched against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

The downward spiral in the standings coincided with Lonzo Ball injuring his right knee in mid-January. With Ball out of the lineup, Chicago went 19-23 and saw a steep decline on the defensive end.

The Bulls now enter the offseason with the focus on getting Ball healthy, re-signing All-Star Zach LaVine and adding via the draft.

Roster status: Playoffs, but dependent on a healthy Lonzo Ball

When the season ended last May, Bulls head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas made a short but definitive statement on what to expect in the future.

«We will not settle for mediocrity here,» Karnisovas told the media.

That statement held true for the first 60 games this season as Chicago went 19 games above .500.

The 39-21 record was a result of the offseason moves that Karnisovas orchestrated, including the sign-and-trades to acquire Ball, DeMar DeRozan and the free-agent addition of Alex Caruso.

The Bulls also had a defensive identity centered around Ball and Caruso.

«As we built out our roster, we turned the focus to defense too. Alex Caruso has been instrumental. Lonzo Ball has been a great addition, pushing the pace for us,» Bulls president and COO Michael Reinsdorf told ESPN in mid-January.

Prior to Jan. 15, the Bulls ranked sixth in points per game off turnovers and No. 1 in transition