The Chicago Bulls team of 2015–2016 had an incredible amount of talent and experience, yet they underperformed that season. Derrick Rose, a past league MVP, and All-Stars Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol, and Joakim Noah were on that team.

However, the Bulls ended tenth in the Eastern Conference with a 40-42 record. Butler, who averaged 20.9 points per game and led the club in scoring that season, outlined the events leading up to that terrible year.

Different visions

Although there was no on-court conflict, Butler claimed that certain players preferred to put their best foot forward each night rather than follow the strategy used by head coach Fred Hoiberg.

When an ACL injury halted his rise, Rose was still attempting to regain the vigor that had made him one of the NBA’s most dangerous guards. Noah, on the other hand, was limited by a number of wounds that his body had sustained from the accumulation of minutes and miles.

“I don’t believe that the men had varying ideas of what it takes to win. Actually, I don’t think everyone was in agreement about what the roles of the guys were going to be,” Butler said.

Chemistry was off

The Bulls’ play at the time was proof positive of the underappreciated importance of chemistry in any team’s ability to succeed. After everything was said and done, Rose was dealt to the New York Knicks in the off-season.

Noah, who participated in 29 games that season, was released as a free agent and ended up moving to New York alongside Rose. Gasol relocated to San Antonio as well to play for Gregg Popovich’s Spurs.

To be honest, that’s what it came down to. If you consider the talent that each person possessed, I believe that everyone wanted to demonstrate their abilities on any given night, according to Butler.