The NBA has officially unveiled the 2024-25 program on Thursday afternoonand they didn’t do the Chicago Bulls any favors.
The new team will open the year on October 23 in New Orleans against Zion Williamson and newly acquired Dejounte Murray. They will then have a day off before a brutal back-to-back series that includes a trip to Milwaukee and a home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This will be the second year in a row that the Bulls’ first game at the United Center will be against Billy Donovan’s former team. But now the story goes further!
Of course, Chicago chose to send All-Defensive Team guard Alex Caruso to the Thunder earlier this year in exchange for Josh Giddey. Both players will now have the opportunity to immediately remind their former team of the mistake they made. You have to love a little early-season action – even if we know another 20-point win is likely to come to OKC.
These first three games are just the beginning of a grueling first month of the season for Chicago. Eleven of the team’s first 16 games will come against teams that finished .500 or better last year.
Here’s a look at the first full month of the season:
October 23 – @ NOP
October 25 – @ MIL
October 26 – vs OKC
October 28 – @MEM
October 30 – against ENT
November 1st – @ BRK
November 4 – vs UTA
November 6 – @ DAL
November 7 – against MIN
November 9 – @ ATL
November 11 – against CLE
November 13 – @ NYK
November 15 – @ CLE
November 17 – against HOU
November 18 – @ DET
November 20 – @ MIL
November 22 – vs ATL
November 23 – against MEM
The complete Chicago Bulls schedule is available here.
Not only do the Bulls have four straight home games in their first 18 games of the season, but they also won’t play two straight home games until mid-November. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I saw them go that long without playing at home. When I do my annual schedule review, that’s something I’ll have to take a closer look at.
Overall, if the Bulls weren’t ready to embark on a full rebuild, a quick look at this schedule should convince them to do so. The 2024-25 season is shaping up to be a tough one, but it should also be a great test for an extremely young team.
A few other things worth mentioning immediately:
