What are reasonable Bulls expectations for this season?
The Chicago Bulls are ready to begin Year 2 of the rebuild.
According to both management and players, the only goal this season is for the team to come together and develop.
That's an awfully vague form of measurement, so let's set some actual parameters. What needs to happen for this to be a successful season for the Bulls?
In general, the goal of any rebuild is to load up on promising pieces before taking a swing. Once a team starts getting better, it gets tougher to improve the roster because the draft picks are lower and players start to get raises, using up cap space.
When a team begins to rise in the standings, it needs enough young talent in the car to reach the top of the hill and become a championship contender. Too many rebuilds - including the last few by the Bulls - started rolling back downhill after a couple of years in the playoffs.
Making the playoffs this year probably isn't out of the question for the Bulls, considering the state of the Eastern Conference. This early in the process, it really doesn't matter and could even hurt more than it helps.
Here are some accomplishments that will help the Bulls' rebuild stay on the fast track:
Establish an alpha scorer
This is Zach LaVine's job to lose, obviously, and it seemed like he might be up to the task during the preseason.
Per 36 minutes, roughly what he will be playing in the regular season, LaVine averaged 28.8 points, while shooting 52 percent overall, 44 percent from 3-point range.
This happened in five exhibition games, so it's probably not realistic to expect those kind of numbers all season. But most good teams have a guy they can count on to provide consistent offense, so anything approaching 25 points per game would be a nice step for the Bulls and LaVine.
Maybe the best sign so far is LaVine delivered scoring variety during the preseason. He averaged 3 attempts from 3-point range, 5 free throws and got to the basket a decent amount. This is how the best NBA shooting guards get it done.
Late-game scoring is an unknown for now. Kris Dunn showed a lot of promise in that category last season when the Bulls went on their 14-7 run. So between Dunn, LaVine and Lauri Markkanen, maybe there won't be pressure on one player to handle the scoring in crunchtime.
Play a little defense
It's probably not realistic to expect this group to be a top-five defense. But maybe finishing between 11-20 in defensive rating is a reasonable goal.
Actually, the best way to grade the Bulls defensively might be the number of times coach Fred Hoiberg says after a game, "Shots didn't fall and they hung their heads." Less than five would be a good number, down from 50 or 60 times last season.
Overall, the defense wasn't very good during the preseason. But the Bulls did show they were capable during the victory over Indiana last week.
That performance was nothing more than guys playing with energy and staying engaged on the defensive end. When the Bulls are aggressive, it should lead to more fastbreak points. This is a young team that will make plenty of mistakes, but there's also a deep rotation of low-mileage legs, so there's no excuse for not making an effort.
Break the mold
The Bulls seemed to be onto something last season with their multiple stretch-four lineups. Opponents had trouble matching up with Nikola Mirotic, Bobby Portis and Markkanen when two of them were on the floor at the same time.
Mirotic was traded to New Orleans and Markkanen is out until mid-November with an elbow injury, but the Bulls should be able to bring this back when he gets healthy. Rookie Wendell Carter Jr. has shown a nice shooting touch, so he could join the mix, and Jabari Parker's best trait might be as a mismatch against bigger power forwards.
Using the bigs to drive a 3-point-heavy offense could turn out to be a winning formula eventually.
Find Parker's role
It's really no concern that Jabari Parker was moved into a reserve role during the preseason. Coming off two ACL surgeries, Hoiberg needed to find a role that works if Parker is going to stick with the Bulls long term.
Becoming an all-star doesn't seem likely, so the best spot for Parker might be as an overqualified role player. Golden State's Shaun Livingston is a good comparison, a high draft pick whose career was derailed by injuries before he found a way to contribute on a good team.
If Parker can embrace that sort of role, he might end up as a valuable piece in the rebuild.
Rev the engine
Tough to tell if playing at a fast pace is vital to the Bulls finding success. But it is true point guard Dunn is as important as any player on the roster.
Dunn showed potential as a strong defender and late-game scorer. If he can continue those traits while also being a leader and playmaker, he should have a nice career.
For the Bulls to become a championship contender, they need Dunn and LaVine to become one of the best backcourts in the league. Such a goal seems feasible, but it's a long way from happening. Markkanen is a candidate to become the third star, with Portis a possible fourth reliable scorer.
There still are ways for the Bulls to upgrade the roster. A high draft pick isn't out of the question, even if the record improves, because draft lottery reform kicks in next year. They also could have some cap space next summer when Robin Lopez and Omer Asik's contracts come off the books.
For this season to be a success, though, the current group of players needs to start climbing.
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Scouting report
Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m. Thursday at Wells Fargo Center
TV: TNT
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: The 76ers played the first game of the NBA season Tuesday and lost 105-87 at Boston. PG Ben Simmons played well, producing 19 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. C Joel Embiid contributed 23 points and 10 boards, but those two didn't get enough help. Philadelphia made just 5 of 26 attempts from 3-point range, while former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz managed just 5 points and 2 assists. The Bulls went 1-2 against the 76ers last year, dropping the lone appearance in Philadelphia 115-101.
Next: Detroit Pistons 7 p.m. Saturday at the United Center.
- Mike McGraw