Who said the Chicago Bulls have nothing to play for!?

The tank race is entering its final lap, and the Bulls have undoubtedly kicked things into high gear with ten consecutive losses. Nevertheless, two of their most important games when it comes to lottery odds are on the horizon.

Let’s review those and a couple other topics from the (depressing) notebook!

Tank Race Continues

If the Chicago Bulls want the best lottery odds possible, they should have started tanking months ago. But if they still want pretty decent lottery odds, they’d better not mess around over the next two games.

The Portland Trail Blazers will come into the United Center on Thursday night. Currently in the lottery picture, the Bulls are crossing every finger and toe that this does not remain the case. As owners of a Portland lottery-protected first-round pick, Chicago would love to head into draft night with two first-rounders that are well within the Top 20.

The good news is that Trail Blazers are unlikely to fall out of the Play-In Tournament picture. Everyone below them in the standings is currently in full-blown tank mode, leaving the door wide-open for them to snag at least the No. 10 seed. With that said, as a team hungry to break its postseason drought, they will want to do everything they can to sit above the final Play-In spot.

The Trail Blazers are currently No. 9, which means they would at least get to host Round 1 if the regular season ended today. The Los Angeles Clippers, however, are right on their heels and have continued to play some decent basketball despite their big deadline moves.

As for climbing the ladder, the Golden State Warriors have only a 2.5-game lead for the No. 8 seed (Phoenix is likely too far ahead for a realistic shot at No. 7). Swapping spots for the Warriors would give the Trail Blazers two chances to finally clinch a playoff series. If they fail to win the 7v8 game, they would at least be able to host the winner of 9v10 for a chance to play in the final postseason series. Why am I explaining this to Bulls fans? You all know this already!

Anyway, all of this is to say that beating the Trail Blazers tomorrow would feel counterintuitive for the Bulls. Is that a conversation going on between players and coaches right now? Of course not, and we should never expect it to be. But it’s undeniably a variable that those of us on the outside are going to be thinking about once the game tips off.

Speaking of which, Saturday’s contest against the Milwaukee Bucks could be equally important in the tank race. Only two games currently stand between the Bulls and their I-94 rival. Even if the Bucks are vying for a spot in the Play-In and expect to have Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the fold at some point, we have seen how rough things can be for this group. They sat behind Chicago for much of this season, so we can not rule out a scenario where they slip back down the totem pole again.

So, what’s one way to help ensure the Bulls do not end up swapping lottery positions with the Bucks again? You already know the answer!

A More Assertive Isaac Okoro

Losses aside, Isaac Okoro has stood out over the last handful of games. The forward has found himself in a bizarre situation, representing one of the Bulls’ most veteran roster members despite only joining the franchise this offseason. This has thrust him into a leadership role mid-season, which is something the former Cavaliers forward sounds like he has embraced.

“Of course it’s hard when you got six, seven new guys on the team, trying to get everyone caught up. Still, [I’m] on the court trying to direct guys where to be on the offense [and] defense. New terminology, I know it can be hard for them,” Okoro said. “That’s why you can’t really get frustrated with them because everyone is coming from different places, situations. So it’s always going to take time. We just got to be patient. Especially trying to lead them with that, trying to have some grace.”

It’s an incredibly mature mindset for the 25-year-old who has very little experience playing for a losing team. One has to imagine head coach Billy Donovan, in particular, appreciates that mentality as he tries to keep his locker room from spiraling out of control.

Speaking of which, Okoro’s maturity also showed itself when addressing his recent offensive play. He confirmed an attempt to be more aggressive on that side of the ball, which has resulted in double-digit points in six of his last seven games. Still, he has a very clear understanding of who he is as a player and where his value lies.

“My offensive game is more so just reading the game. I take my shots when open, attacking in transition, getting into the paint, reading in the defense … I think I play a pretty simple offensive game. Nothing too flashy. I think it’s pretty simple, efficient. Defense is my first thing, so doing that and going the little things to win games.”

With plenty more change likely coming in the summer, it sure doesn’t hurt to have someone with Okoro’s calm and introspective demeanor in the locker room.

Only Winless Team in February

With the Sacramento Kings taking down the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, the Chicago Bulls stood alone.

They are currently the only NBA team that has failed to win a game this month. And, if the Bulls fail to pick up a win over the Trail Blazers (which, again, is possible in their best interest), they will have gone all of February without a victory. Even when tanking is a franchise’s ultimate goal, a winless month is pretty darn hard to accomplish!

Overall, Chicago has now dropped ten consecutive games. This marks their longest losing streak since 2019, which was followed up a few months later by a front office and coaching overhaul. Do I anticipate a similar outcome this time around? Not at all, but there is no question that a rebuild puts more pressure on lead decision-makers. Incremental progress will have to be shown soon enough.

For what it’s worth, if we take things back to January 26, the Bulls are a league-worst 1-13. Their point differential rests at -13.6, as they have looked equally lost on both sides of the ball. Speaking of which, the sloppiness offensively has been a true eyesore. Their 17.4 turnovers a night rank 29th over this stretch, and things have only gotten worse in this department despite this group having more games under their belt. Billy Donovan’s squad has committed 21+ turnovers in three of the last four games.

Both Donovan and the players continue to say all the right things, but it’s hard to imagine we see much of a turnaround over the next month and a half. The ship is going down, and it’s not going to be pretty.