Following last night's victory against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Chicago Bulls now stand at 8-6 on the young season. Through one-fifth of the year, they're seventh in the Eastern Conference, have a surefire All-Star performer, and they are well ahead of the pace of any preseason predictions. After losing a double-overtime game in Utah, the Bulls handed the Denver Nuggets their first home loss of the season, beat the shorthanded Trail Blazers, and completed the West Coast trip with a 2-1 record. The looming question remains: When will the Bulls regress to the mean, fade into irrelevancy, and slide into the lottery-bidding portion of the standings? These tidbits are why Chicago is here to stay.
1. Best Bench In The NBA
Josh Giddey spoke in an interview earlier this season about the practice habits and offseason work from this group. In his answer, he noted that their second unit consists of players who could likely be interchanged with the starting five, and that the skill gap between the two groups was minuscule. Through the first part of the 2025-26 season, his response is coming to life between the lines. The Chicago Bulls have the top-scoring bench unit in the league. In Denver, they terrorized the Nuggets and carried the Bulls to a surprising win.
SHOUT OUT TO THE BENCH.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 18, 2025
Ayo Dosunmu: 21 pts (8-9 FG)
Jalen Smith: 16 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl
Jevon Carter: 15 pts
Patrick Williams: 7 pts
Dalen Terry: 5 pts
Julian Phillips: 2 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk
Outscored Denver 66-9 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pXBnkMyhkQ
Ayo Dosunmu, Jalen Smith, Jevon Carter, Dalen Terry, Patrick Williams, Kevin Huerter, and Coby White have all been playing some of the best basketball of their careers. Each night features a new stand-up performer, and the diversity and depth have carried Chicago this season.
2. Josh Giddey Is An All-Star
Coming into the year, Chicago's outlook was somewhere at the bottom of the standings. With nobody on the roster who has made an All-Star game in five years, this season was primarily to determine who the future investments should be and which youngsters could be moved on from. Josh Giddey quickly separated himself as an NBA star. He's nearly averaging a triple-double this season, posting 21.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per night. These are all career-bests, and he leads the Bulls in scoring and rebounding. He's currently second in betting odds for the league's Most Improved Player award, but will surely be nominated as an All-Star.
Josh Giddey in November:
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 18, 2025
23 PTS - 11 REB - 12 AST
29 PTS - 15 REB - 12 AST
16 PTS - 7 REB - 14 AST
15 PTS - 9 REB - 6 AST
26 PTS - 13 REB - 13 AST
21 PTS - 14 REB - 6 AST
November averages:
21.7ppg - 11.5rpg - 10.5apg
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/t1zKJiQ2L7
3. Beating The Top Teams
Most who see Chicago's current record would assume they're beating up on the league's bottom-dwelling teams. The opposite has been true through the first part of the year. They've defeated four of the top-seven teams in the Eastern Conference, and the number two team out West. Five of their wins have come against teams currently in the playoff picture. In all but one of their losses, they've also been leading the contest in the fourth quarter, but have been unable to finish the job.
The Bulls have played the NBA’s hardest strength of schedule so far. They have the NBA’s easiest strength of schedule the rest of the season. A 6-4 start without Coby and Collins is damn good. pic.twitter.com/oUXxDJqeC3
— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) November 11, 2025
4. Coby White Still Limited
Coby White is Chicago's most talented offensive player. He's the highest-volume and best three-point shooter on the roster, he's had over 20 points per game each of the last two years, and can playmake at an elite level. He made his season debut in Utah, sat out in Denver, and played in his second contest last night. He's still on a minutes restriction and is coming off the bench, which will change when he's fully healthy and capable of reverting to his usual workload. In his limited action, his impact has been felt immediately. When he's fully integrated, this offense will skyrocket.
Coby White drops 27 in his season debut. pic.twitter.com/LdeNIi6Ey6
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 17, 2025
Initially predicted to win 32.5 games on the season, the Chicago Bulls are turning heads across the league. Despite the suspicion they might plummet to the depths of the standings after an improbable hot streak, these sustainable methods of success will continue to propel the Bulls into the playoffs.
