Three Tactical Questions Tiago Splitter Must Tackle in His First Bulls Season

When Tiago Splitter stepped onto the Advocate Center podium, the buzz was palpable. He wasn’t just getting a new job – he was handed a clean sheet, a roster in flux, and a city that’s been yearning for a fresh identity.

That said, the clock started ticking the moment training camp doors opened. Splitter can’t spend months mulling over philosophy; he has to answer three very concrete questions that will dictate the Bulls’ on‑court product from day one.

1. How fast do we want to run? On paper the Bulls look built for speed. Josh Giddey thrives in a grab‑and‑go system, and the athletic wings – Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson – can sprint the floor and finish with alley‑oop flair. Add in Nic Claxton’s relentless rebounding and Jalen Smith’s recent uptempo experience under Billy Donovan, and you’ve got a recipe that screams “push the ball.”
But speed without discipline is a recipe for chaos. The Bulls aren’t overflowing with elite ball‑handlers, and Splitter has already stressed the importance of crashing the glass. If every player is diving for rebounds, the transition edge evaporates. The key will be finding the sweet spot where the team moves fast enough to wear opponents down, yet stays organized enough to avoid “running into each other” – both literally and figuratively.

In Portland, Splitter’s squad cracked the top‑nine in PACE and loved attacking the rim. Chicago possesses the raw athleticism to replicate that, but he may need to temper the tempo at times, especially while young pieces like Buzelis and Wilson are still honing half‑court decision‑making.

2. Who’s going to close games? The last season’s late‑game chaos left fans with a bitter taste. That era saw veterans shuffling in and out while prospects struggled for minutes, a clear sign of a franchise lacking direction. Now, with Tre Jones, Josh Giddey, and the defensive‑minded Isaac Okoro on the roster, Splitter has potential options.
Will he trust Jones as the go‑to ball‑handler in crunch time? Or lean on Giddey’s play‑making instincts? And where does Okoro fit when the clock winds down – a defensive stopper or a floor‑spacer? The answer will likely be a mix, balancing the need for learning experiences with the desire to actually win those final minutes. The new NBA lottery rules have taken the “tank at all costs” mentality out of the equation, so those fourth‑quarter moments matter more than ever.

3. What’s the plan behind the arc? Floor spacing has been the Bulls’ Achilles’ heel for years. The acquisition of veteran sharpshooter Norman Powell injects some perimeter threat, but one player can’t single‑handedly solve a systemic problem. Jalen Smith, surprisingly, has emerged as the team’s second‑best three‑point shooter, albeit on only 4.2 attempts per game. If Splitter can nurture his confidence to shoot more, that alone opens lanes for the slashers.
Matas Buzelis is still a work‑in‑progress on his jump‑shot, yet flashes of potential were evident in summer league. Caleb Wilson showed a similar upside. The coaching staff’s task is to design sets that pull the defense out, give these young guys the green light, and still keep the offense fluid enough for Giddey’s pick‑and‑roll magic.

All told, Splitter’s first months in Chicago will be a balancing act –‑ fast enough to leverage the roster’s athleticism, wise enough to protect possessions, and inventive enough to stretch the floor. If he can answer these three tactical riddles early, the Bulls could finally shed the “rebuilding” tag and start looking like a genuine contender.