Bulls rookie Carter interested to see how he stacks up with Embiid
To no one's surprise, the Bulls will stick with their late preseason starting lineup when the real deal begins Thursday in Philadelphia.
That means Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Justin Holiday, Bobby Portis and Wendell Carter Jr. will start, while Jabari Parker and Robin Lopez continue in bench roles.
This makes an interesting NBA debut for Carter, who will match up against the Sixers' 7-foot center Joel Embiid from the opening tip. Carter was the No. 7 overall draft pick in June out of Duke.
"Joel Embiid was one of my role models growing up," Carter said Wednesday at the Advocate Center. "He was someone I always wanted to pattern my game after. Just going up against him is a remarkable feeling. He's a very physical player. He's a very talented player. I'm going to be able to stack up and see what all I need to work on to last in this league."
The Sixers played the opening game of the NBA season Tuesday and lost 105-87 at Boston as Embiid finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Carter said he watched that game closely.
"I'm a very physical defender," Carter said. "I feel like going up against him will be a pretty good matchup."
One issue Carter faces is trying to stay out of early foul trouble. Referees traditionally are less lenient with rookies.
"Just keep my hands out of the cookie jar," Carter said. "I feel like that's how I get my cheap, early fouls. Other than that, I feel like I'll be all right."
If Carter does get in foul trouble, the Bulls will be able to bring in a veteran in Lopez. Coach Fred Hoiberg said backup center Cristiano Felicio sprained his ankle Tuesday, wouldn't practice Wednesday and is questionable for the opener. Forward Denzel Valentine (ankle) is probably doubtful after missing all of preseason.
"It's been a great experience for Wendell, especially these last couple games with who he's gone up against with (Indiana's Myles) Turner and (Denver's Nikola) Jokic," Hoiberg said. "Two guys that can take you inside and outside as well."
Dunn teaches defense
Kris Dunn has said he's hoping to be the Bulls' best individual defender, and on Wednesday he talked about trying to help Zach LaVine improve defensively.
"Zach ... that's my guy," Dunn said. "On the defensive end I just told him, 'You're as fast as me. You're more athletic than me. There's no way you shouldn't be a good defender in this league. You could be one of those guys who could be dynamic in the passing lanes because you're so athletic and fast.
'And personally I like to score. If you get in a passing lane that's a dunk for yourself. And because you've got so much bounce that's when you get the crowd on their feet, maybe do a windmill, a 360, something.'
"But I think he's been doing a good job on the defensive end. It's not going to be easy. We've all got to learn and I think we're all trying."
Dunn will have a tough assignment Thursday, guarding Philadelphia's 6-10 point guard Ben Simmons.
"I try to speed him up, to be honest. Try to pick him up full court, try to wear him down," Dunn said. "On the offensive end, be aggressive, try to get him in foul trouble, don't shy away from him and try to go test Joel (Embiid) a couple times at the rim."
Turnovers are trouble
Coach Fred Hoiberg begins his fourth season on the Bulls bench. To win on the road, he stressed an important statistic.
"You can't go out and turn the ball over, especially against this Philly team," Hoiberg said. "That's where they were best (Tuesday), when they got in the open court. If you give (Ben) Simmons any type of seam, he's going to get through it and get to the rim. He's a problem when that happens.
"So it's a team issue for us. We have to take great care of the ball, especially when we're playing on the road."