If you watched the Chicago Bulls last season, you heard the same sound almost every night: sneakers squeaking through another desperate scramble toward an open shooter. One screen forced the first defender behind the play. Help arrived from the wing. Another pass followed, and suddenly someone was sprinting toward the corner with little chance of affecting the shot.
Chicago allowed 121.5 points per game, 28th in the NBA. The Bulls finished 31-51, and too many defensive possessions followed the same pattern. They reacted instead of dictating. That is what Tiago Splitter has to change.
The roster gives him a better chance. Nic Claxton brings a mobile center who can defend well beyond the paint. Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain add length on the wings. Isaac Okoro remains the natural choice for difficult perimeter assignments, while Matas Buzelis gives Chicago another rangy forward.
Entering camp, Splitter faces one simple question: Can he mold that length into a switching defense that protects its weakest links instead of exposing them?
Chicago finally has more ways to defend a screen
Last season, opponents did not need complicated offense to make Chicago uncomfortable. Put the wrong Bull into a pick-and-roll, force a switch or a help rotation, then attack whatever opened next.
Against a scorer such as Jayson Tatum, one bad exchange can create a clean isolation before the defense gets organized. Give Giannis Antetokounmpo a step toward the paint and the weak side has to collapse. Once that help arrives, the offense already owns the advantage. Chicago spent too much time playing from that position.
Claxton changes the equation because he gives Splitter a center who does not automatically become vulnerable when a guard drags him toward the three-point line. The 6-foot-11 big man spent seven seasons in Brooklyn before Chicago acquired him this summer. He averaged 1.6 blocks across 380 games, but his value goes beyond rim protection.
A switching center must survive in space. When a guard turns the corner, Claxton can slide laterally rather than immediately retreating toward the rim. If he contains the ball without demanding help, Chicago can keep its other defenders attached to shooters.
Claxton has already experienced what happens when a coaching staff asks him to expand beyond traditional center coverage. While discussing Brooklyn’s increased use of trapping in 2025, he said, “I can be really good at it because I can kind of do both a little bit. So I’ve just embraced it.”
That flexibility should matter even more in Chicago. Splitter does not need Claxton glued beneath the basket, and he does not need him chasing guards on every possession. He needs a center comfortable doing either when the matchup demands it.
Claxton makes switching possible, not automatic
The temptation will be obvious. Chicago finally has a mobile center, so why not switch every ball screen?
Good offenses would punish that just as quickly.
Nikola Jokic does not care how versatile a defense looks on a whiteboard. Give him a small guard on the block and he can score, draw help or find the cutter created by that help. Joel Embiid, when available, creates a similar problem through sheer size and foul pressure.
Guards cannot surrender those mismatches casually. If a smaller Bull switches onto a center without resistance, Claxton may end up wrestling with a guard on the perimeter while somebody much smaller tries to finish the possession on the glass.
Splitter therefore needs rules. Against certain lineups, Claxton can switch high pick-and-rolls and trust his feet. Against bigger teams, Chicago may keep him closer to the paint. Late in the shot clock, the Bulls can become more aggressive because the offense has less time to exploit the resulting matchup.
Fight over one screen. Switch the next. Scram a guard out of a post mismatch before the entry pass arrives. Chicago does not need one coverage. It needs several coverages that five players understand.
Caleb Wilson’s biggest challenge will be processing speed
The Bulls selected Caleb Wilson fourth overall out of North Carolina largely because his physical profile fits where NBA defense has gone.
At 6-foot-10, Wilson gives Splitter a forward with the length and mobility to handle different types of scorers. That alone creates possibilities Chicago did not have often enough last season.
His early test, though, will have less to do with athleticism than recognition.
NBA actions arrive quickly and rarely stop after the first screen. Wilson may correctly handle the initial matchup, only to lose a cutter when the ball reverses or react late when a second screener enters the action.
That is where rookie defenders usually get exposed.
Training camp should force Wilson through those situations repeatedly. Put him into actions against Josh Giddey and Rob Dillingham. Make him defend in space, recover toward the paint and identify the next threat without staring at the ball.
Chicago does not need Wilson to become an elite stopper immediately. The Bulls need him to process the floor quickly enough that his physical tools can take over.
Dailyn Swain gives Chicago another body opponents cannot bully
Wilson brings the lottery pedigree. Dailyn Swain, selected 15th overall, offers a different form of defensive value.
Modern NBA offenses relentlessly search for the weakest defender. They screen until the right matchup appears, clear space and let their best scorer attack.
Swain’s job is to avoid becoming that target.
At 6-foot-7 with a sturdy frame, he should have enough size to absorb contact from wings without immediately requiring help. That matters against offenses built around strong creators who want to dislodge a defender before reaching their preferred spot.
His path to early minutes should be straightforward. Stay physical without fouling. Keep his chest in front. Finish possessions on the glass.
If Swain can hold up physically against NBA wings, Splitter gets another defender he can trust for short stretches without sending immediate help. That reduces the pressure on Claxton and makes it harder for opponents to manufacture an easy matchup.
Matas Buzelis should get more freedom away from the ball
Matas Buzelis enters his third season after averaging 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 2025-26. His offensive growth already changed how Chicago views his ceiling.
The new roster should also make his defensive job cleaner.
Okoro can take the primary perimeter scorer. Claxton can handle the most demanding center actions. Wilson and Swain can absorb bigger wing assignments.
That allows Buzelis to spend more possessions working from the weak side, where his length may have greater impact. He can stunt toward driving lanes, challenge shots around the rim and bother passing angles without constantly carrying the hardest on-ball assignment.
The Bulls do not need Buzelis to become a defensive specialist. They need to put him in positions where his length becomes disruptive rather than reactive.
Isaac Okoro has to prevent problems before they start
Every scheme becomes easier when the first defender holds his ground. That puts Isaac Okoro near the center of Splitter’s plan.
Okoro should draw Chicago’s toughest perimeter matchup most nights. If he keeps the ball handler in front, Claxton stays closer to the rim and weak-side defenders remain attached. The defense avoids starting the chain reaction that created so many open shots last season.
Still, opponents will screen until Okoro leaves the action. Giddey, Dillingham and Chicago’s smaller guards will eventually inherit matchups the offense wants.
Splitter needs counters ready before those possessions arrive in October. Can Chicago switch the action back before the ball reaches the post? Can a forward rotate into the matchup early? Should Claxton briefly show and give the original defender time to recover?
Those choices should become instinctive during camp. The less Chicago has to improvise, the more useful its added length becomes.
Splitter’s Portland season gives Chicago a starting point
Splitter enters the job with more relevant experience than the word “assistant” would suggest.
Portland hired him as an assistant before the 2025-26 season, but he eventually took over as the interim head coach. He guided the Trail Blazers to a 42-40 finish and the Western Conference’s seventh seed. That experience matters because he was responsible for the entire operation, not simply one coverage or position group.
Now he gets to build a system around Chicago’s younger roster.
The Bulls should not force one defensive identity onto every lineup. A group featuring Claxton, Wilson, Buzelis and Okoro can play more aggressively because size covers mistakes. Add the 6-foot-7 Giddey and Chicago can put considerable length across all five positions.
A smaller lineup needs different rules. Pair multiple guards together and one ordinary screen can leave the wrong defender underneath a power forward. Even if Chicago survives the initial shot, that mismatch can wreck its rebounding position.
Splitter has to coach the personnel on the floor rather than the theory he prefers. That adaptability may become his most important tactical responsibility.
Splitter’s standards have to show up on defense
The tactical part only works if players accept the accountability behind it.
When Chicago introduced Splitter, he promised the Bulls would compete every night and operate with high standards. His first Bulls camp offered a more specific look at what that means.
“They’re going to learn how to work every day, how we want to play,” Splitter said during Summer League camp.
He was talking about Chicago’s young players in July, but that same approach should carry directly into training camp. Before Splitter can install every wrinkle in his defense, the Bulls have to establish habits.
Watch any coverage fall apart and the mistake often starts before the shot. One defender expects help. His teammate expects him to stay attached. Both react late, and an NBA shooter suddenly has six feet of space.
Other breakdowns happen away from the ball. A screener slips toward the basket. A guard ghosts the action. A cutter disappears behind a defender who has turned his head.
During camp, Splitter must hold every silent mistake and blown rotation accountable. Stop the possession when two defenders chase the same man. Demand early communication. Reward players who solve actions without dragging three teammates into emergency help.
Those are the habits Splitter can establish before opening night: call the screen, communicate the coverage, tag the roller and finish the possession with a boxout.
Chicago already had NBA athletes last season. More length alone will not fix a defense that allowed 121.5 points per game.
The real test is whether those mistakes start disappearing.
By opening night, the Bulls should be harder to manipulate
Chicago does not need an elite defense by the end of camp. It needs a recognizable one.
Wilson and Swain are rookies. Claxton must learn new teammates. Buzelis still has areas to sharpen. Splitter also has to identify which combinations can execute his rules without hesitation.
The benchmark should be simple.
One screen cannot keep producing an open shooter two passes later. A smaller guard cannot remain stranded against a center when Chicago has time to move him out. One mistake cannot trigger three more.
The personnel now gives Splitter legitimate answers. Claxton offers a mobile anchor. Okoro handles the point of attack. Wilson brings length and recovery speed. Swain adds physical resistance. Buzelis can disrupt plays from the weak side, while Giddey’s size creates flexibility at guard.
None of it matters if five defenders see five different possessions.
When preseason starts, forget the box score for a moment. Watch what happens when the first screen arrives. Listen for the call. Track the exchange. Then watch the players away from the ball.
Last season, opponents found the opening quickly.
By October, Splitter needs to make them work for it.
READ ALSO: Ball Movement Must Define Tiago Splitter’s New-Look 2026-27 Chicago Bulls
FAQs
How will Nic Claxton help the Bulls’ defense?
Claxton gives Chicago a mobile center who can defend beyond the paint. That allows Tiago Splitter to use more aggressive coverages against pick-and-rolls.
Will the Bulls switch every screen this season?
No. Splitter can switch more often, but the Bulls still need different coverages against bigger centers and unfavorable matchups.
What does Caleb Wilson bring to the Bulls’ defense?
Wilson gives Chicago size, length and recovery speed at forward. His biggest early challenge will be reading NBA actions quickly enough to use those tools.
What role could Isaac Okoro play in Chicago’s defense?
Okoro should handle many of the toughest perimeter assignments. Strong point-of-attack defense can prevent the rotations that caused Chicago problems last season.
What should improve first during Bulls training camp?
Communication should improve first. Splitter needs defenders calling screens, recognizing assignments and completing possessions without turning one mistake into several.
Tracking stats and settling debates. If there is a scoreboard, I am watching it.
