The Chicago Bulls did not make the splashiest coaching hire available, and that may be exactly the point.
According to reports, Chicago is finalizing the hiring of Tiago Splitter as its next head coach, ending a search that followed Billy Donovan’s departure earlier this offseason. Splitter’s name may not carry the same recognition for many fans as the veteran coaches who have bounced around the league for years, which is part of what makes the move interesting. The hire may say more about the Bulls’ future than their present.
Chicago appears to be betting on development
If the Bulls were focused only on winning as many games as possible next season, safer options were available. They went instead with a coach whose reputation has been built on teaching, player development and helping young talent grow.
Splitter’s coaching journey has taken him through the Spurs organization, the Brooklyn Nets, the Houston Rockets, Paris Basketball and most recently the Portland Trail Blazers, where he impressed enough during an interim stint to become one of the hottest coaching names on the market. Development has been the common thread the whole way, and that feels significant given where the Bulls currently sit.
This does not feel like a win-now hire
Chicago is entering a new era. The organization has already gone through major front-office changes, and the roster is increasingly built around younger players rather than established veterans. The Bulls also hold the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming draft, giving them another chance to add a cornerstone to their future.
That context shapes the hire. Splitter is the kind of coach a team brings in when it believes its most important work is still ahead of it, not when it thinks it is one player from championship contention. That does not mean Chicago is planning to lose. It suggests the organization may finally be prioritizing long-term growth over short-term respectability.
Which Bulls players benefit most?
The biggest winners from this hire could be the young players expected to shape Chicago’s future. Matas Buzelis stands out immediately. The former first-round pick remains one of the most intriguing long-term pieces on the roster, and Splitter’s reputation for development could prove valuable as Chicago works to accelerate his growth.
Josh Giddey is another player who could benefit. Splitter’s offensive philosophy has often emphasized quick decisions, ball movement and creating advantages through smart team basketball rather than isolation-heavy play, a style that fits naturally with Giddey’s strengths as a passer and playmaker. The Bulls appear to be hiring Splitter to help shape what the roster can become rather than to squeeze the most out of what it already is.
There is still real risk involved
None of that makes this a guaranteed success. Splitter’s rise has been impressive, but his résumé remains relatively short next to many NBA head coaches, and his success in Portland came during an interim stint rather than across multiple seasons. Building a culture from scratch is a different job than taking over a team midseason, and the Bulls are asking him to lead an entire organizational transition, a significant challenge for any first-time NBA head coach.
The hire may be about identity more than wins
For years, the Bulls have felt stuck between competing timelines, too good to fully rebuild and not good enough to seriously contend. That middle ground is one of the hardest places for an NBA franchise to escape.
Hiring Splitter may be Chicago’s clearest signal yet that it finally understands which direction it wants to take. The Bulls appear to be choosing a philosophy rather than simply replacing Billy Donovan, and if that philosophy is built on development, patience and a younger core, Splitter may turn out to be exactly the coach Chicago needs right now.
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