New Bykov executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Grahamwhose list features young building blocks such as Josh Giddy, Caleb Wilsonand Matas Bouzelisdoesn’t expect the team to become a contender within his first year on the job. While Graham wants the Bulls to be competitive, he is more focused on setting the right direction for the franchise and building the right habits.
“We want to set the best standards right from the start. That’s what we’ll do, even if the results don’t catch up with the process” Graham said during Monday’s media day, per Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Link to Twitter). “This foundation is being laid brick by brick to bring the championship back to Chicago. Raising this flag keeps me awake at night.”
While Graham wanted to speed up the process, he admits it will take patience to get the Bulls where he wants to be, as Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune details. It’s a sentiment echoed by the new head coach Tiago Splitter.
“I know the fans, you guys all want to see that column with a W on it and lots of numbers on them” said Splitter. “And we also want to have many victories. But we must be patient. That’s what is needed. It takes time, it takes commitment and a lot of work from the staff and the players.”
We have more from the Bulls’ media day:
- Chicago’s long-term ceiling could be determined in large part by whether Wilson, this year’s No. 4 overall pick, becomes a star. However, Graham wants to keep expectations on the 20-year-old as he enters his rookie season. “Expectations are probably pretty high because Caleb is pretty open, but internally we know this is a season of growth and development“, – said Graham, translated Joe Cawley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “We have to be okay with giving him some grace this year because he’s going to have his ups and downs. There will be progress, and there will be some regression.”
- Chicago also added a defensive center Nick Claxton this summer. Claxton struggled with back problems two years ago and has since struggled to regain his peak form, but says he is fully fit for the 2026/27 season and ready to get back to being an impact player. Cowley writes for The Sun-Times. “A it really bothered me a couple of years ago, but last year it wasn’t a problem– said the big man.… I’ve figured out my body, I’ve figured out what I need to do to stay on top, so I’m ready.” Claxton also said the tanking the Nets did last year can affect a player’s game, but he appreciates his time in Brooklyn and knows he has to be a professional no matter the situation.
- Bouzelis is looking forward to his third year and the responsibilities that come with being one of the team’s cornerstone players. He is also looking forward to taking on the role that Splitter envisions for him, Lorenzi writes for The Athletic. “I feel that I will have more freedom in attack, I will be more aggressive in defensesaid Bouzelis.I feel like I’ll have a little more freedom than last year.” The 21-year-old added that he felt he took too many 3-pointers last season and is more focused on getting down and attacking the rim with his athleticism. Splitter agreed that Bouzelis will have the freedom to learn from his mistakes, but emphasized that there will be times when he will have to put on the teacher’s hat. “I’m not going to take it because of one change” said Splitter. “But if there’s something that we’ve talked about and tried to work on — say a loss and he’s gotten four in a row — well, you’ve got to sit here with me (on the bench) for a little bit.”
