Top Six Bulls Stories of 2022
2022 began with high hopes for the Bulls and ended with the roster facing a lot of questions about its future. Months after avoiding the play-in tournament, which was a step down from being at the top of the Eastern Conference for a while, they now are struggling just to make that tournament. The front office will have a little over a month in the New Year to decide how it wants to play the rest of this season. Until then, let’s look at the six stories that defined the past year for the Bulls:
DeMar DeRozan hits second of back-to-back buzzer beaters
As of this writing, there have been 813 game-winning buzzer beaters in NBA history according to Basketball Reference. Two of them came on back-to-back nights by DeMar DeRozan in two different years. After beating the Indiana Pacers at the buzzer on New Year’s Eve 2021, DeRozan did it to the Washington Wizards on New Year’s Day 2022. We’re unlikely to see this exact sequence of events and circumstances happen again.
Grayson Allen breaks Alex Caruso’s wrist
While this event ultimately didn’t do that much in dictating the Bulls’ season on paper, few things in 2022 united the fan base like this. During a Jan. 21 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Grayson Allen fouled Caruso while he was in mid-air, and Caruso landed on his wrist. It turned out Caruso broke his wrist on the play, and he wouldn’t play again until March 12. Since then, Bulls fans have had a bounty on Allen, who already had a reputation for dirty play going back to his Duke days, and this only added to that.
DeRozan, Zach LaVine named All-Stars
The Bulls were one of the best Eastern Conference teams in the first half of the 2021–22 season, and they were rewarded with multiple All-Stars for the first time in six years. DeRozan started for Team LeBron, and Zach LaVine was a reserve on Team Durant. Both players reached double figures in scoring. It was part of a season that resulted in an All-NBA Second Team selection for DeRozan and a maximum contract for LaVine.
Bulls end playoff drought
For the first time in five years, the Bulls qualified for the NBA playoffs. As the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, they drew the defending champion Bucks. While they were eliminated in five games and didn’t win either game at the United Center, the fact that they got this far showed how good this team could be. Had Lonzo Ball not been injured, perhaps it would have been a more competitive series, but we’ll never know.
Ayo Dosunmu makes All-Rookie Second Team
You might remember that when Ayo Dosunmu was drafted, there was no hype around the Bulls because they didn’t have a first-round selection. When Ball went out with the injury he has yet to return from, the Bulls handed the starting point guard keys to the Chicago-born rookie, and he responded beautifully. With Dosunmu’s hustle, production and court vision, you never would have known he fell to the second round. When he made the All-Rookie Second Team, the only objective conclusion was that Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley hit on their lone 2021 pick.
Bulls shore up bench with veterans in free agency
While the top offseason priority was LaVine’s new contract, the Bulls also decided to address the roster’s lack of experience. They did that by signing a pair of former All-Stars in Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic. Neither player has started a game for the Bulls yet, but they’ve thrived as reserves, showing they still can be productive in spurts. Without these two veterans, this season might be in a much worse place than it currently is.
