CHICAGO (AP/WGN) — The Bulls will begin the 2025-26 season without their top returning scorer.
Seventh-year guard Coby White, who topped the 20 points-per-game milestone for the first time in his career last season, will miss the start of this season because of a strained right calf he suffered in the offseason.
The Bulls begin their season Wednesday night at the United Center against the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan told reporters Monday that White did not experience a setback in his recovery from the injury he suffered in August, but he did feel tightness following Saturday’s practice. The team said he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks.
The former first-round pick, drafted No. 7 overall by the Bulls in 2019, figures to miss at least six games, starting with the opener against Detroit. The Bulls also play Orlando, Atlanta, Sacramento and New York twice during that stretch.
White averaged a career-high 20.4 points per game last season, second on the Bulls to Zach LaVine, who was traded to the Sacramento Kings at midseason. That came after White averaged 19.1 points per game in 2023-24.
He’s also played in 227 out of a possible 246 regular-season games, including 152 starts, over the last three seasons.
Chicago went 39-43 for the second straight year last season and finished ninth in the Eastern Conference. They then lost in the first round of the play-in tournament, failing to reach the playoffs for the third season in a row and the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
Here’s a closer look at the Bulls as they begin their 2025-26 campaign:
By the numbers
Last season: 39-42, lost to Miami in the first round of the play-in tournament.
Head coach: Billy Donovan (sixth season with Bulls, 11th season overall, 438-362).
Key departures: G Lonzo Ball.
Key additions: G/F Isaac Okoro, F Noa Essengue.
BetMGM championship odds: 500-1 (subject to change).
What to expect
The Bulls went 39-42 for the second straight season and got knocked out of the play-in tournament by Miami for the third year in a row. But instead of shaking up the roster, they largely stood pat. Chicago is in a familiar spot, banking on improvement from within after a quiet offseason. The most notable moves were re-signing G Josh Giddey to a four-year contract extension, trading Ball to Cleveland for Okoro and drafting Essengue out of the French Basketball League with the No. 12 pick. The Bulls hope guards White and Giddey take their games to an All-Star level and F Matas Buzelis builds on a promising rookie season. But the fact remains: They don’t have an established cornerstone player and haven’t even had an All-Star since DeMar DeRozan in 2023. The Bulls also stood play with their coaching staff, signing Donavan to a multi-year contract extension over the summer, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Strengths and weaknesses
The good: White followed up a breakout season in 2023-24 by averaging a career-high 20.4 points last year. Giddey, acquired from Oklahoma City for Alex Caruso, averaged 14.6 points in his first season in Chicago. He set personal bests at 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game and also delivered seven triple-doubles. The question is whether he can develop into a more reliable defender.
The not-so-good: The lack of a cornerstone player remains a big issue for this franchise. It’s particularly glaring in a more open Eastern Conference, with Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton recovering from torn Achilles tendons. The Bulls do have a strong trade chip in Nikola Vucevic, with the two-time All-Star’s contract expiring at the end of the season. White, Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins and Jevon Carter also are set to come off the books.
Player to watch
A Chicago area native who played one prep season at southwest suburban Hinsdale Central High School, Buzelis started to show star potential over the course of his rookie season after earning his way into the rotation. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds while starting 31 of the 80 games he played in after being drafted with the No. 11 overall pick in 2024.