On the one hand, there is a world where we look back at the Chicago Bulls’ game log in April and roll our eyes at a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In a season where draft positioning feels pivotal, those are “easy losses.”
On the other hand, the Bulls are going to win some games this season … and you would like for them to look a lot like that one on Friday night!
- Sitting there at halftime, I thought we were reading a similar story to the one on opening night. The first half was a competitive display that featured some fiery scoring from Zach LaVine. But it still felt like the Bucks were bound to adjust, especially with Gianns Antetokoumpo doing anything he wanted against the Bulls’ weak interior defense. The Bulls shocked everyone, however, with their consistency and tempo. The offseason words about a new-look offense turned into actions, and the Bulls looked like they were having more fun scoring the basketball than we’ve seen in years.
- Chicago chucked up 47 threes, which is the most they’ve shot in regulation since Feb. 10, 2021, against the New Orleans Pelicans. Their 21-made threes also marked their most since Jan. 30, 2021, against the Portland Trail Blazers. Five different players ended up taking at least five long-range attempts, including big men Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith. Vucevic finished the night 4-9 from distance, marking his most attempts and makes since the 2022-23 season. The buy-in to a new five-out system feels real. Will this lead to wins this season? No, but it should help establish a more modern identity for this organization to build on.
- The Bulls wasted no time putting together a video of every made three from last night’s big win. As you watch, pay attention to the spacing on the floor and the quickness with which the Bulls are getting their shots off. The hesitation that plagued this offense at times the past couple of years is nowhere to be seen.
- Both Zach LaVine and Coby White moved up the franchise record books on Friday. LaVine is the second Bulls player ever to sink 1,000 threes, joining Captain Kirk Hinrich. Meanwhile, White passed Ben Gordon to move into third on the franchise’s all-time three-pointers list.
- For as significant a role as LaVine and Vucevic played on Friday night, I was encouraged by how much Billy Donovan leaned on his young talent. We saw him sub in Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, and Julian Phillips at the first rotational turn. Matas Buzelis also had a nice bump in minutes from his NBA debut against the Pelicans (although, I’d like to see him out there even more). The most encouraging thing, however, was probably how involved Patrick Williams was down the stretch. He played over 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-7 shooting from the field. The Bucks cut the score to 102-101 roughly a minute into the frame, but Williams immediately splashed a 3-pointer. He followed that up with a decisive 16-footer over the stretched-out arm of the Greek Freak. The shot was straight out of the DeMar DeRozan Handbook.
- Is this a sign of what is to come from Patrick Williams? Those are the kind of moments that can build real confidence for someone like Williams, who seemingly has all the athletic tools to play a meaningful role offensively. You have to take the opportunities that present themselves, and there will be plenty in crunch time with DeMar DeRozan now out of the picture.
- Nevertheless, the Bulls don’t win that game without Coby White looking like one of the best players on the floor. The breakout was real folks. In case you missed it …
- Matas Buzelis’ first bucket was SMOOTH.
- Josh Giddey may not have jumped off the screen, but he looked far more comfortable than he did on opening night. The point guard played a crucial role in helping the Bulls’ offense move with purpose. He found Zach LaVine twice on two strong cuts to the rim, and he set up Nikola Vucevic a couple of times for some wide-open threes. Also, while he still has a long way to go in the 3-point shooting department, it was nice to see him hit both his catch-and-shoot attempts.
- Coby White dropped 35 points on the Bucks while dealing with groin tightness. Let’s hope this remains a minor thing.
- The Chicago Bulls will now face another Conference Finals contender in the Oklahoma City Thunder this evening. For what it’s worth, home openers haven’t been kind to the Bulls the past couple of seasons. The Bulls lost 124-104 to a similar Thunder team last season, while they lost 128-96 to the Cleveland Cavaliers the year before that. Especially when we consider this is the backend of a back-to-back, my expectations are rather low heading into this one. But, hey, I would have said the same thing before last night’s tip-off!
- Will Alex Caruso or Josh Giddey take home the Revenge Belt tonight? Unfortunately, my money is on Caruso, who will know precisely how to disrupt this Chicago Bulls offense. I’m sure he will not be phased by Billy Donovan’s new offensive strategy, particularly after spending years matching up against Zach LaVine and Coby White in practice. At the same time, there should be no lack of motivation for Josh Giddey, who watched this franchise give up on him as a key piece last season.
- Don’t love that …
- Time for another W!