The Bulls… Are… BACK! And I’m fully ready to, yet again, invest an unhealthy amount of time into a mediocre basketball team. This past weekend, the Chicago Bulls laced up their shoes and played an actual NBA basketball game for the first time since March. Due to the nature of the times, the NBA preseason consists of a two-game series against two opponents to limit travel. The Bulls opened their preseason against the James Harden-less Houston Rockets and both games were strikingly different.
The Bad
At the half. pic.twitter.com/imYtJHtPgu
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 12, 2020
Team one is the primary team. It’s the one taking the floor a majority of the nights the Bulls are scheduled to play. I, admittedly, don’t watch preseason games. I can form all my rash opinions on the team through the results of the previous season, short game highlights, and tweets like the above from the team account.
“At the half”. Not much more to say, is there? In the first half, in which the starters logged the majority of their minutes, the Bulls surrendered 30+ points in both quarters. Starting right where they left off last season, the icing on the cake was them being down 102-72 after just three quarters.
To be fair, this is their first actual contest in nine months. That is a long offseason but the fact remains. This is not out of the ordinary for this Bulls team. The Houston Rockets, even without James Harden, are a better team. Outside of Zach LaVine, John Wall is more impactful than any player the Bulls employ and their roster is more experienced. The Bulls youth shows more than fans would like it to but that’s what you get with a rebuild. This version of the team is what you’ll have to get used to watching on most nights this season. When you can’t stop anyone from scoring and can’t score, bad things happen.
The Good
Team two. The upside! The development! Can everyone just take ten seconds to watch this clip below?
Wendell with authority ?@NBCSChicago | @WendellCarter34 pic.twitter.com/Gv2h3apwXy
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 14, 2020
Lauri Markkanen, the seven-foot wing in a big’s body, running side pick and roll with 6’10” Wendell Carter Jr? More of that, please! Where did this come from? What am I watching? Even with a new head coach, the Rockets continue to play fairly small, largely due to their roster makeup. But that makes the play even more encouraging if you ask me. Lauri will be checked by guys closer to his size with most other teams. If the Bulls can attack a big-on-big pick and roll consistently it would give them an advantageous two-man game they haven’t had since Joakim Noah left. It would also be great for Lauri’s impending future with the franchise if they can find a way to utilize him; these were two of his three total points in the game.
The frontcourt looked fun and tantalizing on one specific play. The backcourt? That’s where the real excitement is. Both Zach LaVine and Coby White showed off their impressive abilities to put the ball in the hoop with 23 (8-14 shooting) and 20 (7-15 shooting) points, respectively. We all know LaVine can score. But the midrange is an area he could use some improvement. And I only say that because it’s an area he tries to attack. LaVine converted midrange shots at 34.4-percent last season and even just a slight increase would be great for his game. When these two are on their offensive games, it will, at the very least, keep them in close games when defense won’t. It’s the Suite Life of Zach and Coby. I just thought of that and I’m using it any time they both score 20 points or more in the same game.
The Rook
Patrick Williams. I like Patrick Williams. This isn’t a Tom Thibodeau team (not a dig). The rookie will play. Coach Billy Donovan isn’t on the anti-rookie train like Thibs, nor is he liberal with their minutes. Rookies still must earn their minutes under Donovan. I am only confident he’ll see a large share of game time because of how the roster rounds out. It won’t take much time to confirm he’s a better bench option than the likes of Thaddeus Young, Denzel Valentine, and Chandler Hutchison.
In the two games against the Rockets, Williams immediately looked like he belonged on the same court as the rest of the guys. Offensively he looks very comfortable. He moves, dribbles, and shoots with conviction. He’s confident in his game. His jumpshot has a high arc and a soft touch. And he already has a go-to move that I am very much a fan of. Williams loves the midrange dribble pull-up. It was a primary shot of his in college and it looks to be translating well. At 6’8″, Williams uses his size and wingspan to shoot over defenders. Honestly, he kind of reminds me of Luol Deng when he shoots that shot. He even wears the same number! A delightful homage to a Bulls great. After just one game, I’m more than excited to watch the Bulls’ new rookie in real NBA action anytime I can.
Rookie Patrick Williams looked smooth in his first taste of NBA basketball.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 12, 2020
12 points | 5-for-9 shooting | 25 minutes pic.twitter.com/eJ46bXcMSM
The Sophomore
Coby White. The second-year guard out of North Carolina is now the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls. A scoring point guard is something every team looks for these days. They also need to be able to run the offense and create for others as well as themselves. With five assists, and a few pretty passes in the pick and roll, it’s a positive sign that the playmaking ability is there. The fear coming into the season is the Bulls starting five operating as five individuals nearly incapable of working as a full unit. Billy Donovan is hoping that won’t be the case. Though, after game two against the Rockets, it’s easy to see how Coby White can be a long-term building block.
.Year 2 of @CobyWhite is gonna be fun.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 14, 2020
20 pts | 5 asts | 4 three-pointers pic.twitter.com/YT3WzNPoD9
While the offensive ability is obviously there, making plays on the defensive end is where Coby can really stand out. At just 20-years-old, Coby’s on-ball defense is not going to be anything spectacular. NBA defense is tough. Most young players are not very good on that end and it takes time. What he can do, though, is make the occasional spark play on defense; mainly by disrupting passing lanes, causing deflections, getting steals, and turning it into instant offense. Coby White is 6’4″ and has the length, along with fellow wing Zach LaVine, 6’6″, to cause some chaos at the top of the key. In 65 games last season, Coby logged 49 steals. Get that number up to at least one per game and good things can happen.
The Junior
Wendell Carter, Junior that is. In his third season in the league, it’s time for Carter to start making some tangible improvements. He missed a significant amount of time in his first two seasons due to injury. He also had a thumb for a coach. A torn ligament in his thumb required surgery and ended his rookie season in mid-January of 2019. And a “severely sprained ankle” in his sophomore season sidelined him for 22 games. He returned for just six games before a global pandemic shut it all down.
In the first two exhibition games of his bounce-back season it looked like more of the same for Wendell. He’s still looking for his role and identity on offense. Against the Rockets, he went a combined 4-18 from the floor and 1-9 from three-point range. Half of his total shots were threes and I’m not exactly sure how I feel about that. He absolutely needs to take more but I don’t know if half of his shots is the ticket, especially if he’s not going to make them.
Wendell has the chance this season to evolve and develop with the help of a real coach. Who knows the irreparable damage a coach like Jim Boylen could have done to him. This is his time to solidify himself as another building block for the future of the Bulls.
