With preseason behind us and the start of a new NBA season just hours away, what do we really know about this iteration of the Chicago Bulls? Well, if history has taught us anything it’s that we should take what we’ve seen in the preseason with a grain of salt. However, preseason did give us a few hints for what to expect in the upcoming season.
First and foremost, we know who the starting 5 are most likely to be. Coby White, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Patrick Williams seem pretty set as the opening night starters. How long this group lasts together is anyone’s guess. Patrick Williams was the weak link in the chain this preseason, easily outplayed by the veteran Torrey Craig. But Donovan keeps plugging Williams into that starting role hoping his enormous potential actually pays dividends.
Williams has been the biggest disappointment to me on the squad. You see the flashes of his talent on both ends of the court. He has improved a lot of his game over the summer, his dribble drive is much better, it’s no longer a guaranteed turnover when he puts the ball on the floor. When he is in full attack mode, he can be the deadliest player on the court. Yet he continues to disappear for long stretches of the game. His inability to seize the moment and flex his talent instead of flash it continues to vex not just me, but the rest of Bulls Nation.
The second thing I garnered from preseason, the rotation of players coming off the bench also looks fairly set. Expect to see a lot of guard heavy lineups with Jevon Carter, Alex Caruso, and Ayo Dosunmu getting run. Torrey Craig and Andre Drummond will also get their names called a lot. Craig has been better than advertised as a floor spacer, and Drummond is the only other actual center on the roster behind Vucevic. If Drummond can stay out of Donovan’s dog house, he could have a nice season coming off the bench for the Bulls.
Two other players that might get some run if injuries/illness crop up, Terry Taylor and Julian Phillips. These were some of the first subs that Donovan would bring off the bench in preseason games when it was time to rest the regular rotation players. Taylor has some size and versatility, and the rookie Phillips has otherworldly athleticism and showed promise shooting the ball from beyond the 3 point arc. Could the Bulls new shooting coach already be paying off???!!!
In terms of what to expect from the Bulls record this season, it’s still a crap shoot. We’ve seen so many great preseason performances from Bulls teams only to have them play a completely different style of basketball in the regular season. I don’t want to use their performances this preseason to extrapolate to the games that count. All I’ll say, is that when they play at a high pace on offense they tend to be a better team.
A lot of what I saw in the preseason doesn’t give me a ton of hope that the Bulls will be much better than they have been the last couple seasons. It is very possible that they make the playoffs, they have the talent for it. But it is equally possible that they don’t even make the play-in tournament. Talent isn’t enough to be a successful team in the NBA. The Bulls needs to play smart, high paced basketball. They need to focus on taking, and making, enough threes to stay ahead of the math, and they can’t let the grind and adversity they face all season long bog them down and steal their energy.
This is probably the last run for the Mid Three. DeRozan isn’t getting any younger and is in a contract year, the LaVine trade rumors have been real and verified. If the Bulls can’t start the season strong, contend, and beat teams, well, I’m already on the record saying the Front Office blows this team up at the Trade Deadline.
Until they do, thanks for reading, thanks for subscribing, and GO BULLS!
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