Last night, the Chicago Bulls were eliminated from NBA Cup contention. The Hornets improved to 5-14 on the season and ended a seven-game losing streak with a home victory. This is the third time in seven outings that Chicago has fallen to an opponent with six or fewer wins on the year, and their second in a row after being throttled by the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. After a stellar start to the 2025-26 campaign that turned heads leaguewide, the Bulls have flipped 180 degrees and have become the laughing stock of the NBA.

Historically Bad Defense

To begin the year, the Bulls were inside the top ten in points allowed, field goal percentage surrendered, and defensive rating. Starting with November 7th’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, this took a significant turn for the worse. Since then, they’ve been the worst defensive team in the NBA, with a 3-8 record over the last 11 games. They suddenly forgot how to limit teams to under 120 points, to depths more extreme than any team in NBA history.

The Chicago Bulls are the first team in 35 YEARS to give up 120+ points in 11 consecutive games.

😬😬🙄 pic.twitter.com/bsET238rVJ

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The interesting part of Chicago’s downfall is that the addition of one player triggered the decline. While Coby White has been amazing offensively and one of the best and most consistent offensive weapons, the defense as a unit has taken a steep fall since his arrival. With his rightfully earned minutes, it’s forced Ayo Dosunmu, Isaac Okoro, Tre Jones, and Dalen Terry to see the floor for fewer minutes, and this has converted into a drastically worsened defensive product. The biggest issue defensively remains the rim-protection, which boils down to Nikola Vucevic being one of the least effective and dynamic defenders leaguewide.

Vucevic Needs To Go

The Bulls have made an effort to get smaller, more athletic, and faster as a group. In doing so, they’ve sacrificed size, strength, and an inside presence. With Matas Buzelis and Patrick Williams occupying the four spot, most matchups are bigger, stronger, and overpower Chicago’s smaller wingmen. Accompanying an undersized power forward with one of the league’s slowest, least athletic, and worst defending centers in the game has been a recipe for disaster.

“Once you beat Chicago’s perimeter defense, it’s Nikola Vucevic at the rim—not leaving the ground when he jumps—his knees bend and he gets to his toes—you can tell he’s trying to jump, but his sneakers never get off the hardwood—opposing players layup lining on him all game.” https://t.co/sbstY0NZUa

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Chicago ranks third-worst in the NBA in points allowed at 124.2 per night. They’re allowing a higher field goal and three-point percentage than the league average, and they surrender the most points in the paint, courtesy of Vucevic and their undersized power forwards.

After excitement was building through the first dozen games of the season, things have gone from bad to worse this week in Chicago. Can Billy Donovan identify and rectify the horrendous defensive efforts, or will the Bulls drag their way to a lottery selection in the 2026 NBA Draft?