Preseason Ends, Flashes of an Offensive Identity, Williams Accepts Billy’s Challenge, and Other Bulls Bullets

The Chicago Bulls finished the 2022-23 preseason 3-1. They went on to end the regular season with a record of 40-42 and out of the playoffs.

The Chicago Bulls finished the 2023-24 preseason 1-4. So … winning record and playoff seed confirmed!

  • In all seriousness, I advise everyone to not waste a single second caring about wins and losses in the preseason. Not only are teams being meticulous about how they use their star players, but those same stars are fully aware that these games do not count. Instead, the preseason is all about getting into a rhythm and working on establishing an identity. While it wasn’t necessarily pretty for the Chicago Bulls, I do think we can say after last night’s preseason finale that they have started to do just that.
  • As we’ve talked about ad nauseam, the Chicago Bulls’ new offense is built around an uptempo style that promotes quicker decision-making and prioritizes getting into the teeth of the defense. The hope is that generating more shots at the rim can lead to more offensive rebounds and more trips to the free-throw line. Likewise, the more pressure you put on the paint, the more opportunities you may have to kick out to open shooters. While it didn’t all click during the preseason, I’d certainly say we watched the Bulls focus on these things, especially last night against Minnesota.
  • While the Bulls shot only 43.2 percent from the field, we FINALLY saw them get to the charity stripe consistently. The team took a preseason-high 27 free throw attempts, and they won the offensive-rebounding battle for the fourth straight game. We also saw them toss up 36 3-point attempts, which made for their most in regulation during this preseason. Again, it may not have been the offense’s best showing, but we got an idea of what this team hopes to accomplish. I’ll take that.
  • I’ll also take Patrick Williams’ performance. One game after Billy Donovan pulled the 22-year-old early in the first quarter for a lack of aggression, he looked like a new man. Williams played like someone with a chip on his shoulder from the moment the ball was tipped. The first basket of the game came on a thunderous and decisive baseline jam. Later in the first quarter, we saw Wiliams go right at Rudy Gobert and finish strong. To be clear, he proceeded to go 3-12 on the night and 0-7 from downtown … but it was still arguably his most encouraging performance of the preseason.
  • Williams ended the night with two trips to the free throw line and 5 rebounds (his most of the preseason). Despite the inefficiency, he was someone who made his presence felt much like we’ve seen from Torrey Craig over his first several games with Chicago. Craig has been one of the bright spots for the Bulls while shooting just 37.0 percent from the floor. As Donovan made sure to note after the game, it’s not just about how you score the basketball.
  • “Here’s a guy that didn’t make a 3. He was 0-7. But everybody felt his impact in the game. That’s what he’s got to do,” Donovan told reporters (h/t Will Gottlieb). But can he do it consistently? You try to make sure we’re all continuing – even myself, the players – to push him to play with that kind of energy and motor. It’s good to see. He actually cramped up at the end of the game.”

  • I’m not going to get my hopes up too high, as Patrick Williams has been a true rollercoaster. But that was the kind of performance you want to see right before the regular season tips off. Not to mention, it’s the kind of response you want to see from a player after a coach calls you out. Keep it up, Pat.
  • I’ve never been more bought into Coby White, by the way.
  • With that said, I am a bit worried about how Donovan appears set to run this rotation. While I get that a bench mob of Alex Caruso, Jevon Carter, Ayo Dosunmu, and Torrey Craig could be a defensive nightmare, I’d rather have a bit more balance. The starters are going to have plenty of nights where they need the defensive assistance, while the bench is going to need more on-ball scoring.
  • We shouldn’t forget that Julian Phillips was a top-20 recruit and McDonald’s All-American. His first season at Tennessee wasn’t the best, but it was just ONE season! There is a lot to like about his potential, which is precisely why he knew he could go pro even after that year.
  • This dude is going to have some great highlights.
  • Try to win some tickets!
  • https://twitter.com/bullscommunity/status/1715381491096571932?s=20

  • Congrats to Andre Iguodala – a Springfield, Illinois native – on an amazing NBA career!
  • Well, that’s good at least.
  • Some new United Center bites!
  • written by

    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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