Bulls Roll Out Chaotic New Starting Lineup for Saturday Slate

The Chicago Bulls are treating their starting rotation like a late-night fantasy basketball waiver wire claim. According to Underdog NBA, Chicago is rolling out a Saturday starting five of Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Wilson, and Jalen Smith.

Throwing this specific combination onto the floor feels less like a cohesive basketball strategy and more like a social experiment. Handing the keys to an offense featuring two Jalens, a rookie, and a point guard recovering from offseason surgery is certainly a choice.

"Lineup alert: Bulls will start Giddey, Powell, Buzelis, Wilson, Smith on Saturday. (Underdog NBA)"

You cannot really blame the coaching staff for shuffling the deck. Earlier this week, the Bulls suffered a 135-92 humiliation against the Toronto Raptors. Losing by 43 points is the kind of beatdown that makes a front office question everything from the playbook to the postgame catering.

They managed to bounce back with a 132-125 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, but clearly, the tinkering is far from over. This new group is an absolute nightmare to handicap for anyone looking at the weekend slate.

There are at least a few fun pieces here for the sickos who still watch every possession. Matas Buzelis has been flashing serious upside, with reports of him averaging over 22 points in recent action. Meanwhile, Norman Powell is projected to hover around 20 points per game as the primary scoring valve.

Then there is Giddey, who is still trying to find his rhythm after offseason ankle surgery and a lingering wrist issue. Trusting his assist props on the betting market right now requires the kind of blind faith usually reserved for scratch-off tickets.

We will see if this five-man unit can actually generate enough stops to keep the game competitive, or if they are just out there getting cardio. Saturday's tip-off against the Washington Wizards will prove whether this chaotic lineup is a stroke of genius or just another chapter in a very long season.