Tiago Splitter Gets It…And That Should Have Bulls Fans Very Excited

I’ll be honest.

When our Chicago Bulls hired Tiago Splitter as their next head coach, my first thought wasn’t about his record, his schemes, or how many games he’s going to win next season.

My first thought was simple:

Can this man help bring the Bulls back to being the team we love?

Because if you’re a fan of this team, you know exactly what I mean.

We’ve watched this franchise spend years searching for an identity. We’ve seen quick fixes, half rebuilds, and seasons where it felt like we were stuck somewhere between competing and starting over.

So hearing Splitter speak for the first time as head coach honestly gave me something that we as fans haven’t had enough of lately:

Hope!

What immediately stood out to me was where his basketball DNA comes from.

This is a man who played under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. He knows what a championship culture looks like. He understands accountability, sacrifice, and the little details that separate good teams from great ones.

And when he was asked what Bulls fans should expect from his team, bro didn’t try to sell us a dream.

He simply said:

“We’re going to compete every night. And we’re going to have high standards with everything that we do.”

Man…

That shit just hit differently. I felt those words.

As a city, we can handle losses. We’ve lived through plenty of them. What Chicago will never accept is a team that doesn’t play hard, doesn’t care, or doesn’t represent the toughness this city is built on. And for the last few decades, we’ve been forced to accept mediocrity, with a couple glimmers of hope here & there.

Coach just wants to compete every night.

That’s a start.

But honestly, the quote that might have impressed me the most had nothing to do with X’s and O’s.

It was about relationships.

Splitter said:

“That’s the foundation of everything you do, especially at this level. If you don’t have that, it’s really hard to demand and make them respect you. The foundation is connecting with the players in different ways. Generations, they change. You’ve just got to adapt.”

This isn’t a coach who thinks because he played in the league, players automatically owe him respect.

He understands today’s NBA.

He understands that the best coaches are teachers.

And speaking of teachers, can we talk about the player I’m most excited for him to work with?

Matas Buzelis.

Listen, Bulls fans should be thrilled about this combo.

Watching Matas, I see flashes of versatility that this league is demanding more & more these days. A big wing that can handle the basketball, create for others, defend multiple positions, and impact the game in a bunch of different ways.

Ya know, the kind of player like a Deni Avdija. Wink Wink…see what I did there. Under Tiago’s coaching, Avdija made the leap from promising young player to his first NBA All-Star appearance in 2026. The growth & development was obvious, as that duo took the Portland Trailblazers to the NBA playoffs after a half decade (5 years for the NCLB crew) hiatus.

That should make every Bulls fan pay attention.

Because if Splitter helped unlock that version of Deni, imagine what he might be able to pull out of Matas over the next few years.

And the best part?

Splitter already sounds obsessed with the kid’s development.

“We’re going to work hard every day to help Buzelis be the best player he can be. We will not stop working with Buzelis.”

Read that one more time.

We will not stop working with Buzelis.

How many times over the years have Bulls fans questioned this organization’s ability to develop young talent?

EXACTLY!!!

That’s why hearing those words mattered.

Splitter also said something else that should resonate with every fan in this city:

“We want to create a culture of high standards, great habits. Every day, get better, grow.”

That right there is the message.

Not “we’re winning a championship next year.”

Not “we’ve arrived.”

Just work.

Just growth.

Just building something the right way.

And then there was the moment that may have won Chicago over before he ever coached a game.

Splitter revealed that he grew up in Brazil as a Bulls fan.

Think about that.

Before he ever put on a Bulls polo and stood behind that podium, he was watching this franchise from thousands of miles away, just like millions of fans around the world during the dynasty era.

He knows what that logo means to us.

He knows the standard.

He understands the responsibility.

Will Tiago Splitter automatically fix everything that’s been wrong with the Bulls?

Fuuuuck no. Bro is a coach, not Jesus Christ!

There are still huge decisions ahead. The NBA Draft is days away. The roster still needs to evolve. The rebuild still needs patience.

But for the first time in a while, it feels like the person leading the charge understands exactly what Chicago not only wants, but so desperately needs.

Toughness.

Accountability.

Player development.

A real identity.

And Bulls Nation, maybe, juuuust maybe, we finally have the right teacher to help bring it back.

THE 312 VERDICT 🐂🔴

I don’t need Tiago Splitter to walk in and promise me six championships. We already had someone do that for us.

What I need is a coach who respects what this organization once was while understanding what the modern NBA requires it to become.

After hearing him speak, I believe Tiago Splitter gets it.

Now it’s time to get to work.

By Chicago. For Chicago.

— The 312 Report