The Chicago Bulls were cruising to begin the 2025-26 season, and head coach Billy Donovan was making his way up the Coach of the Year leaderboards. The Bulls were 6-1, had two surefire All-Star talents in Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic, and sat atop the Eastern Conference standings. Since then, they’ve gone 3-13 and are currently in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Frustrations have slowly grown within the organization, with players like Vucevic, Coby White, and Jevon Carter timidly suggesting the team’s chemistry is beginning to splinter. Billy Donovan has remained adamant that the team’s day-to-day cohesion remains high, but that it needs to translate to sacrificing for each other on the court if it’s going to translate to winning games. During yesterday’s press conference, he reached a new boiling point, bluntly calling things the way they are, and stopped being polite in his phrasing of constructive criticism.
Admitting They Are A Bottom-Feeder
Donovan could not have been clearer when referencing how Chicago compares to some of the worst teams in the league. After losing to New Orleans, which had two wins on the season, and Indiana twice, which had three wins before facing the Bulls, concerns were exponentially raised. Chicago’s head coach said what everyone was thinking: that the Bulls are no better than either of those clubs, despite the superior record on the season. His words served two purposes: a call to action for his roster, that they need to show more effort and heart nightly, and appear less entitled to a win simply by showing up for the game, and secondly, a shot at the front office, that despite not making the playoffs in four seasons, this lineup is still a bottom-dwelling group.
Billy Donovan went long today: “People wanna sit there and say, ‘Well, you lost to New Orleans. They got a bad a record.’ Indiana, bad record. I don’t think we’re any different from those teams. We’re not just gifted to walk in there (and) if we show up, we’ll win games. … I do…
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) December 10, 2025
During this seven-game slide, the Bulls have lost to five teams with six or fewer wins. Each day, a new player or coach comments on the status of the locker room, and oftentimes, Donovan dismisses any growing tension as insignificant. Yesterday, he finally stopped mincing words.
Calling Out His Players
It’s a widely understood fact that the most challenging aspects to coach in the NBA are defense and rebounding. Players at this level, especially those with the growing pace of play, often neglect to put in effort or energy, particularly younger players. With one of the most youthful rosters in the league, it’s become painfully evident that Chicago is often checked out on defense and gives up far too many offensive rebounds. While several players have mentioned being plagued with injuries and not having opportunities for a consistent rotation, Donovan was having none of that talk.
Donovan on Bulls’ inability to uphold their playstyle through recent skid: “I’m not looking at film saying, ‘Oh, Kevin Huerter’s out, Zach Collins is out. Boy, if HE was here, this would be different.’ I don’t believe that. Some of it’s, like, inbounding the basketball. What do…
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) December 10, 2025
The Bulls are currently failing to execute the most basic of basketball principles. They’ll continue to fall in the standings, and frustrations will grow until they are fixed. Can Billy Donovan’s newfound ‘tough love’ coaching help alleviate Chicago’s issues, or will it push his players to give up on their veteran coach fully?
