Holiday relishing chance to be Chicago Bulls' go-to scorer
During the preseason, it was easy to see why Justin Holiday jumped at the chance to join the Chicago Bulls' rebuild.
He's one of the main guys on this team, probably their go-to scorer until Zach LaVine fully recovers from a torn ACL. Holiday was the Bulls' top preseason scorer at 17.2 points, while shooting an impressive 57 percent from 3-point range (17-for-30).
The 6-foot-6 Holiday was a role player during his previous four NBA seasons, with a career high of 20 minutes per game last season in New York. Is he ready to be a team's leading scorer?
"Of course I think I can," Holiday said Monday at the Advocate Center. "It wouldn't make sense if I didn't think I could. I've worked on my game. This offense puts me in a position to be able to flourish and I think all of us do well."
Holiday finished the 2015-16 season with the Bulls and it was clear then that he had the versatility to be a successful NBA player. He can shoot from long range, attack the basket and has the speed to run the court well.
"It's been a lot of fun," he said of being a full-time starter for the first time. "As basketball players and individuals, we all want to be this, especially at the highest level at some point. I'm having a great time, and I'm still learning and trying to be better every day."
Defense needs work:
The Bulls are planning to play higher-scoring games this season, but their defense remains a work in progress. The Bulls gave up 109 points and allowed opponents to shoot 46.1 percent from the field in the preseason, finishing near the bottom of the league in both categories.
"We have lulls," center Robin Lopez said. "We're not very good then. We're definitely a squad that can't afford to have any down time on either end. We've got to be locked in at all times."
The Bulls finished their preseason by giving up 125 points in a loss to Toronto on Friday. They open the regular season against the Raptors on Thursday at Toronto, so the chance for redemption arrives quickly.
"They ran right by us on a couple occasions in the last game with the four man contesting (a shot) and leaking out," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "You can't allow teams to score on you before your defense gets set. You can't have mistakes on your rotations.
"We'll put a couple new concepts in today and tomorrow, and hopefully see growth."
Bulls horns:
• The Bulls claimed former Cleveland point guard Kay Felder off waivers Monday.
The 5-foot-9 Felder was traded with Richard Jefferson to Atlanta a few days ago and released. He appeared in 42 games for the Cavs last year as a rookie. The Bulls also waived center Diamond Stone and forward Jarell Eddie, who are both expected to play for the G-League's Windy City Bulls. …
• Paul Zipser, who sat out Friday's game with a sore back, was a full participant in Sunday's practice. So the Bulls should have everyone except Zach LaVine (knee surgery), Kris Dunn (dislocated finger) and Cam Payne (foot surgery) on Thursday in Toronto.
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls