Through one week of the NBA season, the Bulls are 2-2 which most would have expected, but the path to .500 has been more of a surprise.
Last season, the Bulls struggled against the East’s top teams (and the League’s top teams for that matter) and there was emphasis put on correcting that coming into this season. The Bulls are certainly accomplishing that task one week into the season, posting their two wins against the Eastern Conference finalists from last year, the Celtics and Heat.
Watching the game against the Celtics, the team was hammering the offensive boards and it had me grinning from ear to ear seeing Vooch down low. It’s amazing what they can accomplish when you put your biggest guy in the paint instead of floating around the 3 point line. Vooch had a double double in the first half, he was killing it! That needs to be his primary role, and have the ability to stretch the floor when needed. Our guards need to be better about recognizing matchups, Stacey King was continually validating me screaming at the TV to dump it down to Vucevic when he has a smaller guard sealed off in the post, those are easy buckets. Coby and Ayo will hopefully get some of that corrected after looking at the film.
Speaking of Ayo, this dude is proving to be a legit starter. I picked him pre-season to be the Most Improved Player this year, and he’s doing everything right so far to be in the running. It’s a long season, but even with the return of Lonzo, whenever that time comes, Ayo has played his way into being considered at the starting 2, and allowing Billy to roll out a fairly stout small-ball line up. The Bulls need Ayo to continue to be his aggressive self, and this team may be able to string together enough wins to remain in contention until we are back to a fully healthy line-up.
The bench has been the shining point of the season so far, showing out and punishing the other team’s second units. According to Statmuse.com the Bulls bench has contributed 129 combined points this season, with a +11 differential. Those are much needed productive minutes, allowing the starters to get their rest. So much of last season, we watched the 2nd unit begin to plummet and DeMar would be checking back in to help stabilize or reverse the run. DJJ was a difference maker in the outing against the Celtics, 10 impactful points in just 15 minutes, posting a +16 differential while on the court.
Overall, I would consider the first week a success, I wish we could have picked up at least one of the other wins against the “beatable” teams, but it’s a long season. Somebody send Patrick Williams a wake up call, the season started and it’s time to play basketball. I think he is going to have a decent game tonight against Indiana that will shut up some of the nay-sayers but this has been the same story every year, he flashes his potential but doesn’t bring it every game. This is his time to shine. Let’s hope we see it tonight.
I am still waiting to see Dalen Terry get his shot out there, I am confident that when he does, he is going to become a fan favorite very quickly. His time will come. Looking forward to the matchup tonight against the 1-3 Pacers, getting over the .500 hump and beginning our climb up the standings. With that, I’m out. Let’s have a week, catch me on Twitter @GreNBA_
Jacob Grenemeier
October 26th, 2022
Photo Credit: https://cdn.nba.com/teams/legacy/www.nba.com/bulls/sites/bulls/files/220519_samsmith_ayodosunmu_dribbling_redjersey_16x9.jpg
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