The NBA preseason is a time for daydreaming about what might be. And this particular Bulls season raises more exciting \u2018\u2018what-ifs\u2019\u2019 than usual.<\/p>\n
What if hotshot rookie Caleb Wilson, whom the Bulls drafted No. 4 overall, turns out to be the real deal? What if forward Matas Buzelis makes a proper third-year leap? What if the Wilson-Buzelis tandem shows itself as a foundation to build on? Wouldn\u2019t that be nice?<\/p>\n
On Friday against the Grizzlies, however, the Bulls got to ponder a more sobering possibility: What if they have to play without their big men?<\/p>\n
The Bulls\u2019 two centers, Zach Collins (quad) and Nic Claxton (hamstring), are dealing with injuries that have kept them out of training camp. Against the Grizzlies, a third big man was added to the list: Jalen Smith sat out with soreness in his left foot.<\/p>\n
In addressing the hole in the frontcourt, coach Tiago Splitter \u2014 not a small man himself \u2014 kept it real.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It is a concern,\u2019\u2019 he said before the Bulls\u2019 104-100 loss. \u2018\u2018I\u2019ve gotta be honest with you. We\u2019ve gotta be careful with their minutes throughout the season. We probably do have to have every night, like, a three-man rotation at [center].<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s a little bit what the league is also asking, the way the league is playing \u2014 physical, fast. Sometimes a 7-footer cannot play for 35 minutes, so you\u2019ve gotta divide those minutes with three big men running up and down.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Sounds like a reasonable plan for when all three return in the regular season. But there\u2019s no guarantee of a full bill of health at the position, especially given that Collins and Claxton have been bogged down by injuries in recent years.<\/p>\n
That might spell trouble in the paint. Tobe Awaka, an undrafted rookie who had to start at center, barely measured up to Grizzlies center Zach Edey\u2019s shoulders. Grizzlies rookie Cameron Boozer \u2014 drafted one slot ahead of Wilson at No. 3 \u2014 consistently outmuscled the Bulls\u2019 wings. The Bulls offered no real resistance down low \u2014 and this was against the rebuilding Grizzlies.<\/p>\n
Yes, frontcourt depth is something for Splitter to worry about in the short term. But the Bulls are in the beginning stages of a rebuild. The real hope and excitement is about the future. And the vision built around young players flashed a little promise Friday.<\/p>\n
Wilson found his three-point stroke after a difficult first half, going 5-for-11 from deep and finishing with 21 points. Buzelis got into his mid-range bag before leaving with an ankle injury. Even rookie Dailyn Swain, who struggled in Summer League and is getting a chance at point guard with Tre Jones out, looked a little more comfortable running the offense.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s just a matter of getting the whole system to click.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Knowing the team that we have, our roster, young guys, we want to play fast, but we still want to be organized,\u2019\u2019 Splitter said. \u2018\u2018Still want to have good shots. Touch the paint. Try to create advantage that way and then spray the ball out.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Win the possession game, rebound game, take care of the ball and create turnovers.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the Bulls\u2019 preseason opener Tuesday against the Suns, Splitter said the team was \u2018\u2018far from where we want to be with quick decisions and quick reactions.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
That continued to be an issue Friday. Turnovers halted fast breaks, and the half-court offense flowed only here and there.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I don\u2019t like how we started,\u2019\u2019 Splitter said. \u201cWe were stuck in mud. Slow thinking, slow feet. Not aggressive enough. Third quarter was much better. That\u2019s how we\u2019ve gotta play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Notes<\/p>\n
Guard Jaylin Sellers missed the game with soreness in his back.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Bulls legend Scottie Pippen was in the house to watch his son, Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NBA preseason is a time for daydreaming about what might be. And this particular Bulls season raises…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":877163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":["post-877162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=877162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/877162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/877163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=877162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=877162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=877162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}