Bulls Smash the Panic Button With Chaotic Small-Ball Lineup

The Chicago Bulls have officially reached the stage of grief where they let a random number generator pick their starting five. According to Underdog NBA, Chicago is rolling out Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Wilson, and Jalen Smith for Wednesday night's game.

This is the kind of lineup you end up with when you accidentally simulate a month in MyNBA and the computer makes three trades while you are in the kitchen. You have two natural wings in Buzelis and Wilson trying to figure out who has to bang in the paint, while Smith is left to anchor whatever remains of the frontcourt.

You cannot really blame the coaching staff for shuffling the deck. Chicago is desperately trying to fix a leaky defense that just gave up 125 points to the Boston Celtics and 126 points to the Philadelphia 76ers in recent blowout losses.

The real engine of this chaotic experiment is Giddey, who is trying to justify that four-year, $100 million contract. Before dealing with recent ankle and hamstring issues, he was putting up a ridiculous 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 9.3 assists per game. Handing him the keys to an offense featuring two Jalens and a rookie is certainly a choice.

There are at least a few fun pieces here for the sickos who still watch every possession. Buzelis has been flashing serious upside by averaging over 22 points in recent action, while Powell adds a veteran scoring valve to a rotation that desperately needs one.

From a betting perspective, this lineup is an absolute nightmare to handicap. You have a mix of high-usage veterans and unproven youth stepping onto the court, and anyone brave enough to touch Chicago's defensive props is asking for emotional damage.

We will see if this small-ball fever dream can actually generate enough stops when they tip off against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. If they get run off the floor again, expect the coaching staff to shuffle the deck once more before the weekend.