Last night, the Chicago Bulls lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 136-101. This marks their worst loss since November 21st, when they fell to the Miami Heat by 36. During the game, they’d lose Josh Giddey and Coby White to injury. Giddey’s issue was a hamstring problem, and White appears to have re-injured his right calf, the same one that kept him out for the first part of the year. Chicago’s year has been a series of runs; they’ve celebrated two winning streaks of at least five games, but also dropped five or more in a row on two different occasions, through the first 32 outings. While the injuries are not the sole reason for the dry spells, they certainly are not helping build continuity or consistency in the rotations. Even though they lost their two leading scorers and playmakers last night, the bigger absence was scratched before the contest began.
Zach Collins Makes All The Difference
Zach Collins is a 28-year-old center who was originally a throw-in asset in a trade with the Sacramento Kings last year. With untapped potential and seeing Nikola Vucevic‘s expiring contract in the summer of 2026, Arturas Karnisovas thought it best to bring in a younger big man who could potentially be the future of the position. Collins has surpassed all expectations in Chicago. His impact at the end of last season and when he took the floor this year has been monumental. Not only does he play at a high level with constant energy and activity, but the most crucial thing he produces is fewer Vucevic minutes.
Gotta be honest, this feels like a huge absence.
Bulls are 6-4 since Zach Collins return, and he's played an increasingly important role. T-Wolves have a lot of size in the frontcourt and love to play double-big lineup.
Interested to see how Bulls hold up without him. https://t.co/6dmncOvH10
— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) December 29, 2025
Collins leads the Bulls in plus/minus at +18 despite playing in under one-third of their contests. He also owns the highest field goal percentage on the team among players who have shot at least five times this year. Defensively, he provides rim-protection and versatility that Vucevic lacks. His absence was painfully obvious last night against one of the tallest and longest rosters in the NBA.
No Collins, Giddey, White, Could Mean The Tank Is Here
If one thing has been true during Arturas Karnisovas’ tenure as the front office leader, if he can justify holding onto assets in favor of contention, he will. Chicago has found itself at or underneath the NBA Play-In Tournament portion of the standings in each of the trade deadlines during his span with the franchise, and each year he’s said to the media that with the team in the playoff mix, he’s stood pat at the trade cutoff. This season, with three of their top contributors out for the foreseeable future, he may not have a choice but to engage in a fire sale.
Bulls lose by 35 at home vs Wolves, one point shy of season’s worst loss. Lost White very early, lost Giddey early into second half. Without Collins for at least a week. These next few weeks could get nasty.
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) December 30, 2025
The Bulls are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, but they are only 1.5 games ahead of the 11th-place team, Milwaukee. With Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the lineup and healthy, they will likely be surging up the ranks, and without their trio of top performers, Chicago will likely slide downward.
Does an extended losing streak finally trigger Karnisovas to blow the entire thing up, part ways with expiring contracts, and sell high on assets that can contribute to a contending roster? The time to embark on the rebuild is now.
