For a team like the Chicago Bulls, who aren’t expected to contend for anything more than a Play-In Tournament spot during the upcoming 2024-25 season, young prospects are everything. Players whose best days are ahead of them, and can offer a glimmer of hope to their franchise. Not all young players will pan out—obviously—and far fewer will turn out to be franchise-saving or franchise-altering players. But even so, there’s nothing more significant to a rebuilding franchise than a young player with upside.
The Bulls have accumulated a fair amount of young talent over the past few years. With players like Coby White, Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, and Ayo Dosunmu leading the way, the foundation for a post-Zach LaVine/Nikola Vucevic era is already in place. Below is a list theorizing on what to expect from the three youngest players on the 2024-25 Bulls active roster.
Expectations for the Chicago Bulls’ Three Youngest Prospects
Josh Giddey
Giddey, who already has three years of NBA experience, is still just 21 years of age. Despite the substantial NBA experience Giddey already has under his belt, don’t let that fool you into thinking the Aussie guard has reached his final form. While he may have fallen out of favor in Oklahoma City, there’s a reason the Bulls targeted him. Giddey is not the most threatening perimeter shooter—career 31.0% from deep—but there’s not many playmakers of his caliber at his size. Giddey’s six-foot-eight, 210-pound frame, coupled with his truly tantalizing point guard skills, easily makes him one of the most unique players in the league.
Expectations for Giddey should be sky high heading into next year. Despite Giddey seeing a decrease in minutes during the Thunder’s 2023-24 playoff run, the Bulls should—given their Alex Caruso-sized investment in him—be fully prepared to hand him the keys to the offense. It remains to be seen whether Giddey has an All-Star leap within him, but it feels like his floor is that of a starting-caliber NBA guard. Giddey’s numbers may not take a gigantic leap in 2024-25, but expect him to start every game he’s healthy, while being a nightly supplier of 15+ points, six-plus rebounds, and six-plus assists.
Since entering the league, Giddey has consistently shown flashes of developing into a player similar to that of Andre Iguodala, Ben Simmons, or Lonzo Ball. These players have had similar struggles from the perimeter, but also have certain physical gifts that elevate them. The 2024-25 season will be a big case study in determining whether Giddey can reach those levels on a more consistent basis.
Julian Phillips
A 2023 second-round pick, Julian Phillips’ playing time was few and far between during his 2023-24 rookie campaign. After appearing in just 40 games as a rookie, and averageing 2.2 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists, Phillips’ workload doesn’t project to increase substantially during his sophomore campaign. With a plethora of other, bigger name frontcourt options ahead of him on the depth chart—Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams, and Buzelis just to name a few—Phillips’ playing time will likely be close to nonexistent, barring an injury to one of the aforementioned players.
Phillips is still only 20 years of age, but given his raw nature and shortcomings as a perimeter shooter, it’s hard to imagine him making a significant leap up the depth chart. There is clearly still an intriguing amount of potential for the former five-star high school recruit to tap into. Without guaranteed playing time and opportunity however, it’s hard to foresee him tapping in to that potential. With good size and great athleticism, Phillips is far from a lost cause. However, a change in scenery may be in order if Phillips is ever to reach the full heights of his talents.
Matas Buzelis
Perhaps the Bulls’ most prized prospect, the recent 11th overall pick from the G League Ignite, could have the highest ceiling of anyone on the roster. Still just 19 years of age, Buzelis is the Bulls youngest player on their roster. And while Buzelis’ youth is exciting of course, there will be times throughout the course of the season where it really shows. Just like he showed during his Summer League play, there will be times when Buzelis looks explosive and electric. But there will also be times when he looks thin, inexperienced, and inefficient.
Regardless of what direction the Bulls decide to go with some of their veterans like LaVine, Buzelis should be able to hold onto a solid role as a rookie. Buzelis may still be too untested and erratic in nature to be ready for primetime on a true playoff contender, but for a forward-looking franchise like the Bulls, Buzelis should be right at home. Look for Buzelis’ rookie season to be full of ups and downs, with just as many jump-out-of-your seat moments as cover-your-eyes airballs and turnovers. Buzelis is the closest thing the Bulls have to a blue-chip prospect. It just might take some time for him to fully look the part. With enough time and opportunity, Buzelis could be in play for Rookie of the Year honors, as he flirts with being a 15-point scorer.
