Time for Bulls to get serious after lackluster preseason
Preseason generally doesn't mean much in the NBA, especially the wins and losses, since it's usually subs and G-Leaguers on the court in the fourth quarters.
The Bulls finished preseason with a 1-4 record after Thursday's 114-105 loss to Minnesota at he United Center. No big deal, everything could change when the real season begins Wednesday against Oklahoma City.
Except ... there weren't a ton of positive signs for the Bulls over the past two weeks. They had possessions here and there where they moved the ball well and manufactured some easy baskets. More often it was sloppy and unsteady, which is odd for a team with so many returning players.
If the nucleus of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic is going to succeed, the Bulls could use a fast start.
"I said that already over the summer, I think this is our last shot to make something happen and we're aware of it and it's on us to deliver," Vucevic said.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan was hoping to approach a regular-season rotation in this one, but LaVine did not play due to an illness and backup center Andre Drummond was out for personal reasons. Vucevic led the way Thursday with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Before training camp began, Donovan had a checklist of offensive goals. They included getting the ball into the paint more frequently, getting to the foul line, grabbing more offensive rebounds, shooting more 3s and pushing the pace.
According to nba.com, the Bulls had the second-slowest pace of any team in preseason, heading into Thursday's contest. Denver ranks last, so maybe playing the Nuggets twice in five games helped pump the brakes.
Heading into the finale, the preseason Bulls ranked last in free throws attempted, 24th in 3-pointers made and were below average in assist-to-turnover ratio.
"I like the way we're trying to play on offense," Donovan said. "I think we've got to get much better at taking care of the basketball. We've got to clean that up. Defensively, we're not near where we had been last year. We've got a lot of work ahead of us there. I do like the fact that we're trying to offensive rebound more, that's been encouraging. I think we've gotten downhill more, attacking the basket."
The Bulls fared better in 3-pointer percentage at .375 during preseason, but with their attempts low, they didn't rank nearly as high in effective field-goal percentage in preseason. They were outshot from long range by Minnesota, which hit 17 of 43 attempts.
Coby White heads into the regular season as the starting point guard. Donovan never really tried other options, so it appears they'll start the season with Jevon Carter joining Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Torrey Craig on an energetic, defensive-minded second unit.
White has shown some improvement. He was the Bulls' top scorer in preseason, as far as total points, with 66. The question is whether he can lead the team to victories, bring whatever intangibles as a floor leader the Bulls seem to lack without Lonzo Ball or Patrick Beverley.
"I think Coby's matured a lot as a playmaker, running the team, he continues to do that," Vucevic said. "Obviously, we know he's a really good scorer. The next step for him will definitely be how to manage our offense, find guys in the right spot. I think he's been doing a really good job so far, being very vocal, trying to talk to guys and learn what they like and don't like and everything."
The addition of Craig sort of puts Patrick Williams on notice. Williams will continue to have an important role, but if he's not following directions to be more aggressive, Donovan can use Craig instead to set an example. It's possible Craig will be a better fit in the starting lineup with the high-volume shooters, but that's probably an adjustment to be made later.
Williams was aggressive early in Thursday's game but hit just 3 of 12 shots, going 0 for 7 from 3-point range.
Dosunmu, who started in LaVine's place, has also been aggressive in preseason, pushing the tempo, attacking the basket and vying for offensive boards. He scored 15 points in the preseason finale.
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