2022 Bulls Roster: Breakdown of Players Reporting to Training Camp

The 2021-22 NBA season was a breakout campaign for the Chicago Bulls—until it wasn't.

They sprinted out to a 26-10 start, wobbled to a 20-26 finish and lasted just five games in the playoffs. Along the way, they were roughed up by the injury bug and watched their defense fall apart.

Can they avoid a similar collapse this time around? They have enough on-paper talent to maintain momentum, though Lonzo Ball's ongoing knee problems cast an ominous cloud over the start of camp.

To dig deeper into this team, let's lay out Chicago's camp roster, explore position battles to track and finally lay out camp goals for the club.

Kostas Antetokounmpo, F (exhibit 10 contract)

Lonzo Ball, G

Tony Bradley, C

Alex Caruso, G

DeMar DeRozan, G/F

Ayo Dosunmu, G

Goran Dragic, G

Andre Drummond, C

Javon Freeman-Liberty, G (exhibit 10 contract)

Javonte Green, G

Malcolm Hill, G/F (non-guaranteed contract)

Justin Lewis, F (two-way contract)

Carlik Jones, G (exhibit 10 contract)

Derrick Jones Jr., F

Zach LaVine, G

Dalen Terry, G

Marko Simonovic, C

Nikola Vucevic, C

Coby White, G

Patrick Williams, F

Chicago probably wasn't planning on having any major position battles at camp, but Ball's continued absence changes everything.

Just like in January, when the injury first surfaced, the Bulls are suddenly in need of a starting point guard. They have more options now, but none of them are ideal.

Alex Caruso arguably presents the best two-way package, but Chicago might prefer having him as an off-the-pine energizer. Goran Dragic offers experience and pick-and-roll creativity, but he is 36 years old, so stretching him beyond a complementary reserve role might be asking too much. Coby White provides more offense than defense, while Ayo Dosunmu does the opposite. It's too early to tell what rookie Dalen Terry offers.

Solving the riddle of this crowded backcourt rotation could be the biggest early season test awaiting head coach Billy Donovan. On a much smaller scale, Chicago also has to hand out its second two-way contract, with potential candidates including Kostas Antetokounmpo, Malcolm Hill and Carlik Jones.

The Bulls need to first sell the idea that they have enough depth to withstand Ball's absence. The doomsday scenario of Ball missing the entire season has already been mentioned, so Chicago can't count on time taking care of this.

Even if the necessary puzzle pieces fall in place there, Chicago has some other items on the to-do list.

Greasing the gears for Patrick Williams to break out would be huge. In a perfect world, the 6'7" swingman becomes the two-way presence this club badly needs at one of the forward spots, but he lacks seasoning after missing much of the 2021-22 campaign with injuries.

Finally, Chicago has to learn how to maximize the impact of its center position. Can Nikola Vucevic recover from a down shooting season? How big of a role should newcomer Andre Drummond play? Can Tony Bradley offer more than emergency depth? This spot could be a strength for this squad, but only if Donovan and his staff discover how each player can add value.