Has Old Zach Arrived? Bulls Break Kyrie, Ayo is Legit, and Other Bulls Bullets

Nov 02, 2022

As much as I love some Chicago Bulls basketball, please give this team some rest!

Another one. Let's keep it going!

7 pm CT | @NBCSChicago | @670TheScore pic.twitter.com/UPFrj3toCR
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 2, 2022

I really want everyone to take a second and let what Zach LaVine did last night sink in. Single-handedly outscoring a team that has Kevin Durant in the 4th quarter is not … well … normal. I know the “injury management” situation has left a weird taste in our mouths to start this season, but last night’s game reminded us of why the team is proceeding with so much caution.

pic.twitter.com/AZg5x4b0tE
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 2, 2022

While there may be some pretty stinkin’ good scorers in this league, only a select few are as good as or better than LaVine. He’s a max-level talent who has the ability to steal games, and we saw him do exactly that last night. We can’t necessarily fault him for struggling to find his rhythm over the team’s first couple of weeks. If anything, the team deserves a bulk of the blame for not being more transparent about the fact that LaVine entered training camp without any five-on-five action post-surgery. As long as they were honest, his limited availability and slow start wouldn’t have felt as concerning.

Don’t get me wrong, I still feel a bit uneasy about how fast LaVine can ramp up when we consider just how frequently he is resting games. But perhaps last night was a sign of what’s to come. He looked more than confident shooting off that left knee, and his 10-21 stat line was far closer to the efficient scorer we’ve grown accustomed to. According to the man himself, he’s also feeling better with each game.

LaVine: "I felt good a lot of the games. It’s just getting back to a rhythm. Sometimes you just catch a rhythm. That’s all I’m looking to do. It’s my fifth game back. I’m feeling better and better each game. Letting the game come to me. I’m just glad we got the win."— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 2, 2022

In fact, LaVine could be feeling so much better that tonight’s backend of the back-to-back could be on the table. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson shared that no one ruled out the possibility of him playing at home tonight against the Hornets. While I don’t expect it to happen right now, the mere fact that it’s even being considered is a step in the right direction.

After playing a season-high 37 minutes tonight, neither Billy Donovan nor Zach LaVine ruled out playing at home tomorrow vs. the Hornets.

With Boston on Friday making 3 games in 4 nights, it may not happen. But it's still in play as of now.— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 2, 2022

LaVine getting an interview on TNT like the star he is:

The Ayo Dosunmu breakout season continues. The starting point guard played a fundamental role in helping the Bulls pull off a much-needed win. Not only did he score 17 points on an efficient 7-11 performance, but he also snatched two huge steals in the final 3 minutes of action off Kevin Durant. He took full advantage of playing against this 29th-ranked defense in the NBA, flying past defenders in the halfcourt and finishing six of his seven makes within six feet of the basket. Talk about prioritizing high-percentage looks.

Dosunmu also played a role in limiting Kyrie Irving to just 4 points in 32 minutes of action. He shot 2-12 from the field in what was one of the single worst performances of his career.

Tonight is the first time in Kyrie Irving's career that he scored less than 5 points in a game with more than 24 minutes logged.

Kyrie totaled 4 points on 2-of-12 shooting in 32:46 of action tonight vs. Chicago. pic.twitter.com/i2abEgolVJ— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 2, 2022

Kyrie Irving has gone scoreless in 20 minutes so far tonight.

Per @ESPNStatsInfo, Irving has gone scoreless in a game twice in his career – once when he played 2 minutes, another when he went 0-for-9 and played 20 minutes in a loss to Atlanta while a Cavalier on Dec. 6, 2013.— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 2, 2022

Goran Dragic did it again. The veteran free agent signing continues to prove he has a lot of good basketball left in the tank. In a game where Coby White had to ride the bench due to a quad injury, Dragic played the role of sparkplug scorer and scored 15 points on four 3s with the second unit. Oh, and he did it against his former team!

Now, having said all of this, it’s not like last night’s nationally-televised win answered all the burning questions I have about this team. There are still concerns about their 3-point shooting and shockingly inefficient offense, as well as their inability to guard the opposing 3-point line. After all, the Nets held the 29th-ranked defense and 19th-ranked offense coming into the game, so the Bulls should have been able to take control of that game a whole lot earlier than they did.

Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/PvYGboebN7
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) November 2, 2022

NBA trade deadline still better …

The NFL Trade Deadline Saw 11 Deals Become Officially Official

𝘼𝙣𝙙 #𝘿𝙖𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙮!https://t.co/KZtbOxzL72 pic.twitter.com/GNSF4GRhDM
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) November 2, 2022

I like having healthy goalies.

Now OFFICIAL. The #Blackhawks have signed Wells to a one-year, two-way deal. Chicago now has 2 healthy goaltenders. https://t.co/5Bs5s7uD8h
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 2, 2022

written by

Elias Schuster

Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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