Bulls Appoint 41-Year-Old Tiago Splitter as 25th Head Coach

Q: Did the Bulls just gamble their future on a coach with only 51 games of experience?

Not necessarily. The Bulls are taking a calculated risk, but it is not as thin as “51 games of experience” suggests. Splitter’s head-coaching sample in the NBA is limited, but it was meaningful. In Portland he went 42-40 overall after taking over midstream, and 30-21 across the final 51 regular-season games, during which the Trail Blazers built a top-10 defense and led the league in second-chance points. He also earned strong backing inside the locker room, with Deni Avdija making his first All-Star team and crediting Splitter’s coaching for his growth. Splitter even received Coach of the Year votes. Just as important, the Bulls did not hire him based only on those 51 games. Their front office cited his player-development track record, leadership, and fit with the franchise’s long-term direction. His résumé also includes NBA assistant work in Houston, scouting and development in Brooklyn, and a head-coaching stint with Paris Basketball, plus seven NBA seasons as a player and a championship pedigree from San Antonio. That said, the risk is real. Splitter has never led an NBA team over multiple full seasons, and Chicago is asking him to help fix a defense that has lagged badly while developing young pieces such as Matas Buzelis. For a franchise trying to end an 11-year playoff series drought, there is little margin for error. So this is less a blind gamble than a bet on upside: an inexperienced NBA head coach, but not an untested basketball leader.

Q: After transforming Deni Avdija into an All-Star, which Bulls player is next?

Matas Buzelis looks like the clearest candidate. The Bulls hired Tiago Splitter in large part for player development, and Chicago’s own framing of the move points directly to Buzelis as a young talent they want to maximize. The searched material describes Buzelis as the team’s emerging upside play, noting “star-level talent” flashes, including a 41-point game against Golden State and a 32-point outing against Charlotte. Over a recent 20-game stretch, he averaged 20.0 points and 7.0 rebounds, while also reaching 100 blocks for the season, a strong indicator of two-way impact. That profile fits what Splitter just did in Portland. He helped turn Deni Avdija into a first-time All-Star by giving him confidence, responsibility and structure within a more competitive, defense-minded system. Splitter also oversaw major defensive improvement with the Trail Blazers, which matters for a Bulls team that needs to climb from near the bottom defensively. Buzelis, with his length, scoring instincts and rim protection, is the kind of player who could benefit most from that approach. Other Bulls could gain from Splitter’s arrival, but Buzelis stands out because he is both young enough to be molded and talented enough to make a leap. If Chicago is looking for its version of the Avdija breakthrough, Buzelis is the most logical bet.

3 articles · Updated · Chicago Sun-Times · Jun 15

Chicago confirmed Tiago Splitter as the franchise’s 25th head coach, filling the vacancy left by Billy Donovan.
Bryson Graham had said the Bulls wanted a smart, high-character leader who could coach both offense and defense while developing a young roster, and Splitter fit that profile.
Splitter, a former Spurs champion and assistant since 2019, boosted his case in Portland by taking over midseason and steering a troubled team into the play-in and past Phoenix into the playoffs.
Portland had considered keeping him, but the Bulls moved first as they reshape the organization after Donovan’s exit.