What the Chicago Bulls got in return for trading their best player could be described as “uninspiring.”

In the deal that sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings, Chicago received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, their own first-round pick from the San Antonio Spurs, and Kevin Huerter from the Kings. It was clear the Bulls’ front office wanted its pick back and that Collins, Jones and Huerter happened to have the salaries to make the trade work financially.

Collins had his brief time as a starter for Bulls Head Coach Billy Donovan when Nikola Vucevic was injured. Jones became an unexpectedly crucial piece for Chicago until he suffered a sprained left foot. With Ayo Dosunmu out for the season and Lonzo Ball still on the shelf, Donovan needed another guard.

He turned to Huerter, who, for the past nine games, has taken over the big guard/wing spot LaVine held before exiting The Windy City.

Bulls new starting lineup has quickly become one of NBA’s best

Since the veteran sharpshooter entered the starting lineup alongside Josh Giddey, Coby White, Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic on March 13, the Bulls are 6-3, which is tied for the fifth-best record in the league over that span.

Among all lineups that have played at least 10 total minutes together in four or more of those nine games, that five-man group ranks second in plus-minus at 5.8, trailing only the New York Knicks’ starting five.

It’s fifth in field goal percentage (52.5) and three-point percentage (44.2). It’s fourth in rebounds per game (14.5) and second in assists per game (10.8).

That group has been Donovan’s most used since Jones got hurt. Those five have been on the floor for 61 minutes over the last four games and have the Bulls’ best net rating (17.4) of any lineup that’s played at least 30 minutes together since March 15. It has an offensive rating of 126.5 and a surprisingly strong defensive rating of 109.1.

It has a better than 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, a true shooting percentage of 63.2 (anything over 60 is considered elite) and an effective field goal percentage of 60.6—50 percent or better is considered elite in that category.

As a team, the Bulls are playing at the second-fastest pace in the NBA in those nine games and have grabbed the third-most possessions.

In short: Giddey, White, Huerter, Buzelis and Vucevic are shooting at an elite clip, consistently finding the open man, rebounding and stifling opposing offenses despite playing faster than almost every team in the league.

It’s no surprise Chicago is playing well enough to become a legitimate threat to win the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament and earn its first spot in the playoffs since the 2021-22 campaign.