Bulls Still Staying Put? Big Night From Big 3, Patrick Williams’ Slam, and Other Bulls Bullets

Jan 29, 2023

You didn’t think you could go 24 hours without bad Bulls news, did you!?

Lonzo Ball is “Nowhere Near Playing”

Third time’s the charm? After two-straight games of doing the opposite, the Chicago Bulls beat a team they should beat. Hooray! The question now is whether or not it means anything at all. As much as I want to believe this somewhat easy 128-109 win over the Orlando Magic is enough to prove to the Bulls that they can do this regularly against below-.500 squads … I can’t. They have burned me too many times at this point to let one game sway how I feel.

Heck, even if they’re able to pick up wins against the Hornets, Blazers, and Spurs in three of their next four games, I’m not quite sure how I will feel. While it’s hard for me not to enjoy a stretch of winning basketball, it’s likely not going to change how a view the long-term potential of this team. The fact of the matter is that some kind of change is needed or else their ceiling likely stays at an inconsistent squad that can achieve a first-round exit *at best.*

Unfortunately, it still doesn’t seem like change is on the horizon. NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reiterated last night that people around the league aren’t expecting major moves from the Bulls at this season’s trade deadline. Can things change? Sure. And I hope they do. But it sure does seem like continuity could be the status quo until *at least* the offseason.

.@KCJHoop doesn't expect major moves at the deadline from the Bulls, but mentions why Nikola Vucevic is a storyline to watch 👀 pic.twitter.com/K2wROhcDfA— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) January 28, 2023

As I’ve said before, it’s not that I don’t like these players on an individual basis or believe that two of them can co-exist moving forward. I just believe the ship has sailed on building around all three players. Not to mention, moving at least one of the All-Star-caliber talents feels necessary to begin restocking this organization’s asset pool. They don’t have the roster space nor draft capital/financial flexibility to fill the holes needed without moving one of these guys.

If the Bulls have no plans to give Nikola Vucevic a new contract this summer, they simply must move at this deadline. Not dealing him and then not re-signing him would lead to the Bulls walking away from that trade with *literally* nothing to show for two seasons later. And that’s simply unacceptable when we consider that Vucevic remains a very good starting center. Indeed, if anything, Vooch has done a really nice job increasing his value around the league this year. His efficiency numbers are some of the best of his career, and he continues to rebound at an elite rate.

With all that said, I also can’t deny that this trio can be fun to watch at times. While that isn’t enough to justify keeping them together for the long haul, games like that night were enjoyable. LaVine, Vucevic, and DeRozan combined for 90 points on 66 percent shooting from the field. I do respect each guy for continuously trying to make this fit work and playing a relatively unselfish brand of basketball.

LaVine and DeRozan are very good at the whole drawing fouls thing …

Fouls called on the highest % of drives:

1. Giannis: 17.0%—14.4 drives/g
2. Paolo: 16.3%—9.7
3. Jalen Green: 13.1%—12.6
4. Sexton: 12.4%—9.7
5. LaVine: 12.3%—10.0
6. Zion: 11.9%—16.2
7. DeRozan: 11.8%—12.8
8. Siakam: 11.6%—15.7
9. SGA: 11.1%—24.0
10. Ja: 11.0%—21.0

Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/HNnekvoh1k— NBA University (@NBA_University) January 29, 2023

If you missed this Patrick Williams slam live, I’m sorry …

PATRICK WILLIAMS ON PAOLO BANCHERO 🔥

(🎥 @NBCSBulls)

pic.twitter.com/i5okWNwimW
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 29, 2023

If there is one glimmer of beauty amid this ugly season, it’s the slow but sure rise of Patrick Williams. A sequence like the one above is exactly what we’ve all been waiting to see from the 20-year-old. Not only did he use his great defensive instincts to snatch that pass out of the air, but he put it on the floor and attacked. The dude exploded past Paolo Banchero and rose to the basket for the dunk with ease. Whether it be this play or the last game’s beautiful turnaround jumper, he’s starting to show us something to get excited about every night.

Patrick Williams' last 7 games:

13.4 PTS
5.6 REB
1.7 AST
1.0 STL

50.7 FG% (9.6 attempts)
40.6 3PT% (4.6 attempts)

He's finished as a plus-contributor in five of those outings and has scored at least 15pts in three of the last four. He might be figuring it out, folks. pic.twitter.com/Xg0AQiRmWU— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) January 29, 2023

ICYMI: The end of last night’s Laker game was hilarious and infuriating. On one hand, I got plenty of joy out of watching LeBron James act like a toddler when he didn’t get the foul call on his game-winning layup attempt. On the other hand, I kinda understood where he was coming from. The guy could not have been more obviously fouled. Here’s his reaction …

LeBron couldn’t believe it pic.twitter.com/BJELILs11r
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) January 29, 2023

Here’s the foul …

Wow. Just wow…

pic.twitter.com/y8P0LT0hZb
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 29, 2023

I mean, come on. What are we doing here? The officiating this season has been downright awful at times. And Bulls fans have seen it firsthand with multiple blown calls deciding the outcome of games. This just can’t keep happening.

Ya know what, I respect this move from Pat Bev.

Patrick Beverly is a generational talent 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/nfE8Ww0L9s
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 29, 2023

Post the highlights of JL3 cooking the Heat tho.

https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1619742293795151873?s=20

SO MUCH FOOTBALL!

Happy Conference Championship Sunday!

How San Fran can beat Philly: https://t.co/o6oR0sZAhV

How Philly can beat San Fran: https://t.co/0AtGaSlaAI

How KC can beat Cincy: https://t.co/1OL1oeRV8L

How Cincy can beat KC: https://t.co/38IRaQ2TQL

via @BN_Touchdown pic.twitter.com/3e8LyOUEze— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 29, 2023

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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Bulls Still Staying Put? Big Night From Big 3, Patrick Williams’ Slam, and Other Bulls Bullets

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