The Bulls Are Rolling Out a Lineup That Looks Like a 2K Auto-Generate Glitch

The Chicago Bulls are officially starting Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Wilson, and Jalen Smith on Friday night. That does not sound like a cohesive NBA starting five. That sounds like the roster you end up with when you simulate three years into a franchise mode and the salary cap turns off.

Underdog NBA dropped the lineup alert ahead of Chicago's Friday night tilt against the Boston Celtics. If you are wondering why a team would roll out a defensive backcourt of Giddey and Powell against a title contender, the answer is that the Bulls are currently operating on pure vibes and desperation.

"Underdog NBA reported the lineup alert on X."

Chicago is coming off a brutal stretch of basketball. They just gave up 133 points to the New York Knicks, 124 to the Washington Wizards, and got absolutely nuked by these same Celtics 134-99 earlier in the week. When you are bleeding points like a ruptured pipe, the logical move is usually to add defense. Instead, the Bulls are leaning into a lineup featuring three natural small forwards and zero elite rim protection.

Buzelis and Wilson are both trying to figure out NBA spacing, and now Wilson is essentially being asked to play power forward. Meanwhile, Jalen Smith is the lone big man tasked with cleaning up the mess. For context, asking Smith to anchor a defense behind Giddey and Powell is like asking a single paper towel to stop a fire hydrant.

Anyone looking at the totals for this game has to factor in that Chicago is basically inviting Boston to a layup line. The Celtics already hung 134 on them a few days ago, and this new starting five does not exactly scream resistance.

We will see if this chaotic experiment yields any actual offense when they tip off in Boston. But if this goes exactly how the math suggests it will, the Bulls might need to try a completely different random combination of five guys by next week.