Bulls Preview: Raptors, Knicks, Jazz, October 25-30, 2021

I don’t know about you, but I thought Week 1 went pretty damn well!

Meet the Opponents:

•  10/25 @ Raptors: (1-2): Zach LaVine has never won four games in a row? Cool. Let’s keep it that way. 
•  10/28 vs. Knicks: (2-1): Having your new team lose to us would stink, but having your new team lose to Thibs, DRose, and Taj would stink even more. 
•  10/30 vs. Jazz: (2-0): *Barry Benson voice* You like Jazz?

Bulls Projected Lineup

1. Lonzo Ball
2. Zach LaVine
3. DeMar DeRozan
4. Patrick Williams
5. Nikola Vucevic

Opponent Projected Lineup

Raptors:

1. Fred VanVleet
2. Gary Trent Jr.
3. OG Anunoby
4. Scottie Barnes
5. Precious Achiuwa

Knicks:

1. Kemba Walker
2. Evan Fournier
3. RJ Barrett
4. Julius Randle
5. Mitchell Robinson

Jazz:

1. Mike Conley
2. Donovan Mitchell
3. Bojan Bogdanovic
4. Royce O’Neal
5. Rudy Gobert

Unavailable/Injured (at the start of the week):

Bulls: Coby White OUT (shoulder), Nikola Vucevic QUESTIONABLE (illness)

Nikola Vucevic is “Questionable” for Tonight’s Matchup with the Raptorshttps://t.co/wDSOgOKmAF

— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) October 25, 2021

Raptors: Pascal Siakam OUT (shoulder), Yuta Watanabe OUT (calf)

Knicks: Nerlens Noel OUT (knee)

Jazz: Rudy Gay OUT (foot)

Injury updates via ESPN. 

Four Factors

Bulls: 52.1 EFG% (17th), 14.5 TOV% (18th), 22.1 OREB% (25th), .228 FTA RATE (13th)

What to Watch For …

Bulls: While no one would label the Pistons and Pelicans as fierce competition, the Bulls still shut up some critics with the way they handled both teams last week. Other than a close opening night battle, Chicago looked like their preseason self, winning the previous two games by a combined 31 points. The team not only looked like the multi-faceted offense we all expected to see after the roster moves this summer but the defense was leaps and bounds better than advertised. Taking care of lesser competition in this convincing fashion is the first step in proving you can be a playoff-caliber team. The next step begins this week. Toronto, New York, and Utah are three well-respected teams with playoff experience. The lone goal for Chicago this week should be to prove they can now hang with this next tier while playing the same brand of basketball. Even if a loss finally lands on their plate, did it come with the same balanced scoring attack and defensive effort we saw in Week 1? Let’s hope.

Raptors: Since we wrote a little bit about the Raptors in Monday’s bullets, I’ll keep this brief. Toronto is a well-coached, hard-working team. While Kyle Lowry may be out of town and Pascal Siakm is on the sideline, we know a roster with names like Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., and Goran Dragic can make things interesting on any given night. With that said, the big question for the Raptors is whether or not their offense can get rolling. Toronto has the second-worst field goal percentage in the league through three games, and their marksmanship from downtown sits at a dismal 26.4 percent. Rookie Scottie Barnes has shown flashes scoring the basketball early on, and VanVleet is always capable of getting hot, but this offense has yet to establish any kind of real rhythm or flow.

Knicks: Can a Bulls-Knicks rivalry finally return? New York took a huge step in the right direction with a 4th-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season. While it may have been a slight overachievement, the team still showed they had a strong enough blend of young players and veteran talent to build a playoff contender. The Bulls hope they can do the same, and an early-season W over this bruising Knicks team would be a good start. Stopping the Knicks’ imposing frontcourt will not come easy, though. Not only has Julius Randle turned into one of the more crafty big men in the league, but the return of Mitchell Robinson gives New York a high-caliber rim protector. New York has so far allowed the fewest points in the paint this season, and they also sit 6th in the league in blocks per game. Can this undersized Bulls team hold their own on both ends?

Jazz: The Bulls will finish their week with easily their toughest task of the year so far. Utah finished as the No. 1 seed in the West one season ago, and the chance they do it again is pretty damn high. Donovan Mitchell is not only a superstar in the making, but Rudy Gobert is one of the league’s top defensive anchors. For Chicago to walk away with a win, they will not only have to string together one of their more efficient shooting nights (Jazz sit 5th in DEFRTG through three games) but they will also need guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso to slow down the Donovan-Conley backcourt.

Question of the week …

This Week’s Question: Was the preseason defensive intensity a hoax or will the Bulls continue to execute on that end for the floor?

You know what, I’m extending this question a week. While the Chicago Bulls’ ability to beat up on lesser competition is noteworthy, we need to see it happen against more formidable opponents. I feel somewhat safe in saying the defense will not be a full-blown hoax, but what happens this week should give us a much better idea of the potential on the side of the ball.

It's just three games, but the Bulls rank …

3rd in Deflections
3rd in Points off Turnovers
5th in Steals
4th in DEF RTG

The Pistons and Pelicans may not be great competition, but a truly abysmal defense wouldn't have those numbers after Week 1. Bulls are on the right path.

— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) October 25, 2021

*We will answer this in next week’s preview.